Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Sells 72,530 Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. reduced its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 85.4% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 12,395 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 72,530 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $3,968,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 22.5% in the 1st quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 1,125 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $388,000 after acquiring an additional 207 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP bought a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $382,000. IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 43,953 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $15,174,000 after acquiring an additional 2,362 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 2,750.0% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI bought a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $58,041,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of AJG stock opened at $310.95 on Friday. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52-week low of $275.56 and a 52-week high of $351.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.73 billion, a PE ratio of 44.17 and a beta of 0.73. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $297.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $316.67.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.36 by ($0.03). Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 13.17% and a net margin of 14.54%.The business had revenue of $3.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.29 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 19th. Investors of record on Friday, September 5th were issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 5th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $346.00 to $327.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $317.00 target price for the company. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $328.80.

Insider Transactions at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In related news, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $299.54, for a total value of $2,396,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 100,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,186,742.58. This trade represents a 7.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 12,855 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.60, for a total transaction of $3,825,648.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 85,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,569,792. The trade was a 13.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 29,855 shares of company stock valued at $8,916,928. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.