Insider Selling: Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) VP Sells 3,800 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• VP Scott Hudson sold 3,800 shares of AJG at an average price of $227.57 for about $864,766, reducing his stake by 4.24% to 85,920 shares (SEC filing disclosed).
• Shares fell roughly 4.5% to $217.87 on the session with volume below average, trading well under the 50‑day ($238.98) and 200‑day ($262.54) moving averages and within a one‑year range of $195.00–$351.23.
• AJG beat quarterly EPS estimates ($2.38 vs. $2.35), reported revenue up 33.9% year‑over‑year, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.70 (annualized $2.80, ~1.3% yield).

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) VP Scott Hudson sold 3,800 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.57, for a total value of $864,766.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 85,920 shares in the company, valued at $19,552,814.40. This represents a 4.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Down 4.5%

Shares of NYSE:AJG traded down $10.26 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $217.87. The company had a trading volume of 1,961,117 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,529,529. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.43, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.67. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $238.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $262.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a one year low of $195.00 and a one year high of $351.23.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $3.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 11.84% and a return on equity of 12.13%. The firm's revenue was up 33.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.12 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This is a positive change from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is 45.53%.

Institutional Trading of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AJG. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 870.0% in the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 97 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 650.0% during the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 105 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the third quarter worth about $39,000. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on AJG. UBS Group cut their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $285.00 to $283.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays lowered their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $250.00 to $247.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $249.00 to $226.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $311.00 to $298.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $281.76.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co is a global insurance brokerage and risk management firm headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Founded in 1927 by Arthur J. Gallagher, the company has grown from a regional broker into an international professional services organization that arranges insurance, provides consulting and designs risk-transfer solutions for commercial, industrial, public sector and individual clients.

The company's core activities include property and casualty insurance brokerage, employee benefits consulting and administration, and a range of risk management services.

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