Short Interest in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Rises By 6.0%

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,110,000 shares, a growth of 6.0% from the March 31st total of 1,990,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 867,500 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.4 days.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of AJG traded down $0.21 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $238.59. The company had a trading volume of 1,029,428 shares, compared to its average volume of 872,751. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1-year low of $198.52 and a 1-year high of $256.10. The stock has a market cap of $52.08 billion, a PE ratio of 48.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.69. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $243.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $239.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The financial services provider reported $3.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.41 by $0.08. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 10.27%. The business had revenue of $3.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.03 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 20.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 10.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be paid a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 7th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.58%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, Director David S. Johnson sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.04, for a total value of $117,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 45,038 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,540,693.52. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, Director David S. Johnson sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.04, for a total value of $117,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 45,038 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,540,693.52. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Joel D. Cavaness sold 1,207 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.20, for a total value of $308,026.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,023 shares of the company's stock, valued at $516,269.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 29,016 shares of company stock valued at $7,176,180. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AJG. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 175.6% in the 3rd quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 113 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 460.9% during the 4th quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $246.00 to $240.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $270.00 to $282.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $253.00 to $252.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group lowered Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $279.00 to $233.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $255.00 target price (down previously from $280.00) on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $255.31.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and reinsurance brokerage, consulting, and third-party property/casualty claims settlement and administration services to entities and individuals worldwide. It operates in Brokerage and Risk Management segments. The Brokerage segment offers retail and wholesale insurance and reinsurance brokerage services; assists retail brokers and other non-affiliated brokers in the placement of specialized and hard-to-place insurance; and acts as a brokerage wholesaler, managing general agent, and managing general underwriter for distributing specialized insurance coverages to underwriting enterprises.