Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Buys 2,974 Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 0.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 564,304 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,974 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned 0.22% of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. worth $194,820,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 14.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 29,672,134 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $8,422,435,000 after purchasing an additional 3,851,661 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 10,067,647 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,857,737,000 after purchasing an additional 305,876 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 30.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 8,199,413 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,327,403,000 after purchasing an additional 1,910,471 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,277,993 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,779,248,000 after purchasing an additional 787,265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,421,591,000. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock traded down $0.69 on Friday, hitting $317.70. The company had a trading volume of 5,446,954 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,369,634. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.98 and a beta of 0.74. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $329.57 and a 200-day moving average of $318.47. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1 year low of $257.58 and a 1 year high of $351.23.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.85 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 14.83% and a net margin of 14.39%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.45 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 6th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s payout ratio is 37.63%.

Insider Activity at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, Director David S. Johnson sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.04, for a total value of $342,040.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 45,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,502,278.92. This trade represents a 2.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 10,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $337.17, for a total value of $3,540,285.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 91,175 shares of the company's stock, valued at $30,741,474.75. This represents a 10.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 25,000 shares of company stock valued at $8,528,080. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $315.00 to $326.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, June 5th. Barclays increased their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $308.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $352.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $372.00 to $371.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $266.00 to $265.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $319.29.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Profile

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co engages in the provision of insurance brokerage, reinsurance brokerage, consulting, and third-party claims settlement and administration services. It operates through the following segments: Brokerage, Risk Management, and Corporate. The Brokerage segment consists of retail and wholesale insurance brokerage operations.