Natixis Advisors L.P. Decreases Stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Natixis Advisors L.P. lowered its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 2.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 360,753 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 10,419 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. owned 0.17% of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. worth $81,126,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AJG. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 175.6% in the third quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 113 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the third quarter worth $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 460.9% in the fourth quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the third quarter worth $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

AJG stock traded up $0.08 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $238.62. The stock had a trading volume of 545,123 shares, compared to its average volume of 869,199. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $243.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $239.00. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52-week low of $198.52 and a 52-week high of $256.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.05. The stock has a market cap of $52.09 billion, a PE ratio of 48.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.69.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The financial services provider reported $3.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $3.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.03 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 10.08 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on AJG. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $270.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $249.00 to $273.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective 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. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $279.00 to $233.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price objective 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $255.31.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, Director David S. Johnson sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.04, for a total transaction of $117,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 45,038 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,540,693.52. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Joel D. Cavaness sold 1,207 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.20, for a total value of $308,026.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,023 shares in the company, valued at $516,269.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David S. Johnson sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.04, for a total value of $117,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 45,038 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,540,693.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 29,016 shares of company stock worth $7,176,180. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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