Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Stock Position Raised by NorthRock Partners LLC

NorthRock Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 146.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,046 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,216 shares during the quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $581,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 14.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 29,672,134 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,422,435,000 after buying an additional 3,851,661 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 10,067,647 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,857,737,000 after acquiring an additional 305,876 shares during the period. Capital World Investors increased its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 30.4% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 8,199,413 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,327,403,000 after purchasing an additional 1,910,471 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 14.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,277,993 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,779,248,000 after purchasing an additional 787,265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,421,591,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of AJG stock opened at $338.19 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $330.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $311.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12 month low of $244.60 and a 12 month high of $350.70. The company has a market cap of $86.61 billion, a PE ratio of 51.87 and a beta of 0.78.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.67 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.10. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 12.70% and a return on equity of 16.47%. The firm had revenue of $3.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.85 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.45 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on AJG. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $266.00 to $265.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $307.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays lifted their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $308.00 to $346.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $370.00 to $372.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $352.00 price target for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $318.57.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 7,510 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.59, for a total value of $2,505,260.90. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 90,020 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,029,771.80. This trade represents a 7.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

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.