WCM Investment Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Key Points

• WCM Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 5.5% in Q2, now owning approximately 2.46 million shares valued at about $783 million, making it the 20th largest position in their portfolio.
• Insider trading activity included CFO Douglas K. Howell and VP Scott R. Hudson selling a total of 29,855 shares for around $8.9 million, reflecting declines in their ownership percentages.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. reported $2.33 EPS for the last quarter, missing analyst expectations, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share with a 0.9% yield.

WCM Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,464,662 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 128,071 shares during the period. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. comprises approximately 1.8% of WCM Investment Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. WCM Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.96% of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. worth $783,097,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AJG. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp lifted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 209.1% during the 2nd quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 102 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Centennial Bank AR purchased a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter worth $38,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Down 2.3%

NYSE AJG opened at $296.67 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.36. The firm has a market cap of $76.07 billion, a PE ratio of 42.14 and a beta of 0.73. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a one year low of $275.56 and a one year high of $351.23. The firm's fifty day moving average is $299.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $314.95.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 13.17%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.29 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 5th were paid 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 0.9%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s payout ratio is currently 36.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on AJG. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $322.00 to $329.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $317.00 price target for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $344.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $331.43.

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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