Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Insider Sells $4,240,146.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Insider Susan Pietrucha sold 15,020 AJG shares for about $4.24 million, reducing her direct ownership by 47.22% to 16,791 shares.
• Quarterly EPS of $3.00 narrowly beat estimates, while revenue of $3.92 billion fell short of expectations but rose 19.6% year over year.
• Analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $292.05; Gallagher also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.70 per share.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) insider Susan Pietrucha sold 15,020 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $282.30, for a total value of $4,240,146.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,791 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,740,099.30. This represents a 47.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of AJG traded up $2.26 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $282.86. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,420,949 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,893,737. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12-month low of $190.75 and a 12-month high of $294.53. The company's 50 day moving average is $250.30 and its 200 day moving average is $233.34. The stock has a market cap of $72.50 billion, a PE ratio of 43.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.47.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.01. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 10.39%. The company had revenue of $3.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.98 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.32 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 19.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 7th will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 7th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AJG has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $299.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Citigroup downgraded shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $285.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $295.00 to $319.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $292.05.

Institutional Trading of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AJG. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 811 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $186,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC raised its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 1,157 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. MGO One Seven LLC boosted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 0.6% in the third quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 6,989 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,594,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Conning Inc. boosted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 4.4% in the third quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 981 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Archford Capital Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 2.4% during the second quarter. Archford Capital Strategies LLC now owns 1,871 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $430,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. is a global insurance brokerage and risk management services firm. It helps businesses and other organizations assess and manage risk, arrange insurance coverage, and address employee benefits needs. The company's services include insurance brokerage, risk management consulting, employee benefits consulting, and claims and settlement services through its Gallagher Bassett business. It serves clients in the United States and internationally, including through a network of correspondent brokers.

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