Talbot Financial LLC Grows Stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Key Points

• Talbot Financial LLC increased its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 15.8%, now holding 38,090 shares valued at approximately $12.19 million.
• Multiple institutional investors, including Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc. and Clarius Group LLC, have significantly boosted their holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher during the second quarter.
• Arthur J. Gallagher's stock has an average rating of Hold with a consensus target price of $328.80, as recent analyst reports reflect mixed views on the stock's performance.

Talbot Financial LLC raised its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 15.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,090 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,185 shares during the period. Talbot Financial LLC's holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $12,193,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Clarius Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 20.6% during the second quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $362,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 73.8% during the second quarter. Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc. now owns 27,855 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $8,917,000 after purchasing an additional 11,825 shares in the last quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 20.3% during the second quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. now owns 9,145 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,927,000 after purchasing an additional 1,545 shares in the last quarter. NTV Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the second quarter valued at $260,000. Finally, 111 Capital bought a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the second quarter valued at $291,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on AJG. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $369.00 to $365.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 19th. Citigroup started coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $317.00 target price on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $344.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $288.00 to $298.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, September 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $328.80.

Insider Transactions at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In related news, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 8,000 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $299.54, for a total transaction of $2,396,320.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 100,777 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $30,186,742.58. This trade represents a 7.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 12,855 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.60, for a total value of $3,825,648.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 85,920 shares in the company, valued at $25,569,792. This trade represents a 13.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 29,855 shares of company stock valued at $8,916,928. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

Shares of AJG opened at $310.95 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $297.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $316.67. The stock has a market cap of $79.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.17 and a beta of 0.73. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52 week low of $275.56 and a 52 week high of $351.23.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.36 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.20 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 13.17% and a net margin of 14.54%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.29 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 5th were given a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 5th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.93%.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company 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.

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