Mufg Securities Americas Inc. Makes New $1.05 Million Investment in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Mufg Securities Americas Inc. purchased a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 3,688 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,047,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Allred Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Allred Capital Management LLC now owns 3,380 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $960,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 3,380 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $959,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust raised its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 3,310 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $940,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 1,173 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $333,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brendel Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Brendel Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,237 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,054,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of AJG stock traded up $3.84 on Friday, reaching $342.12. The company had a trading volume of 973,172 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,317,578. The company has a current ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market cap of $87.62 billion, a PE ratio of 52.47 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a 50-day moving average of $330.80 and a 200-day moving average of $311.86. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12 month low of $244.60 and a 12 month high of $350.70.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.85 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 16.47% and a net margin of 12.70%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.45 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.63%.

Insider Activity at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In related news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 7,510 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.59, for a total value of $2,505,260.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 90,020 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,029,771.80. The trade was a 7.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on AJG. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $370.00 to $372.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $352.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $266.00 to $265.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $308.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $318.57.

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.