Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) VP Sells $3,825,648.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Scott Hudson, VP of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., sold 12,855 shares at an average price of $297.60, reducing his ownership by 13.01%.
• The company reported earnings per share of $2.33 for the most recent quarter, missing expectations slightly, with revenues of $3.18 billion, up 16.0% year-over-year.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share, representing an annual yield of 0.9%.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) VP Scott R. Hudson sold 12,855 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.60, for a total value of $3,825,648.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 85,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,569,792. This represents a 13.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

AJG traded down $3.34 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $297.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,302,060 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,532,207. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a fifty-two week low of $274.25 and a fifty-two week high of $351.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.22 billion, a PE ratio of 42.23 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $301.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $320.00.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.36 by ($0.03). Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 13.17%. The business had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.29 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 5th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 5th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.93%.

Institutional Trading of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 3.1% during the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,604 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $513,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC boosted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 14.8% during the second quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 14,758 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,724,000 after purchasing an additional 1,903 shares during the last quarter. Promus Capital LLC raised its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 23.9% during the second quarter. Promus Capital LLC now owns 3,696 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,183,000 after buying an additional 714 shares in the last quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the second quarter valued at about $1,160,000. Finally, Advisory Services Network LLC raised its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 3.4% during the second quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 8,399 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,689,000 after buying an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on AJG. Barclays lowered their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $346.00 to $327.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $326.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. They set a "buy" rating and a $344.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $333.13.

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.