Trillium Asset Management LLC Takes Position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Key Points

• Trillium Asset Management LLC invested approximately $2.67 million in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., acquiring 7,726 shares of the financial services provider during Q1.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, which will be distributed to shareholders of record on September 5th, with a dividend yield of 0.9%.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed ratings on the stock, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $329.15, indicating some uncertainty in future performance.

Trillium Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 7,726 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,667,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Centennial Bank AR bought a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Motco grew its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 700.0% in the 1st quarter. Motco now owns 112 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. SouthState Corp bought a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 205.4% in the fourth quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 113 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock traded down $0.79 on Friday, reaching $292.62. 1,237,379 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,665,758. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $308.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $322.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The company has a market cap of $75.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.57 and a beta of 0.68. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1-year low of $274.25 and a 1-year high of $351.23.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.36 by ($0.03). The business 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 company's revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.29 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be paid a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 5th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s payout ratio is currently 36.93%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 10,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the vice president owned 91,175 shares in the company, valued at $30,741,474.75. The trade was a 10.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Susan E. Pietrucha sold 13,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $344.13, for a total value of $4,645,755.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 11,941 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,109,256.33. This trade represents a 53.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Erste Group Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $345.00 to $322.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $346.00 to $327.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $331.07.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

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.