Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) CFO Douglas Howell Sells 30,996 Shares of Stock

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG – Get Free Report) CFO Douglas Howell sold 30,996 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.15, for a total value of $8,528,549.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 92,961 shares in the company, valued at $25,578,219.15. The trade was a 25.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Up 5.6%

NYSE:AJG opened at $288.75 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $249.16 and a 200-day moving average of $232.91. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a one year low of $190.75 and a one year high of $289.93. The company has a market cap of $74.01 billion, a PE ratio of 21.55, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.47.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $3.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.98 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 10.39%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.32 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 7th will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 7th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.81%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Triumph Capital Management grew its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 4,000.0% in the third quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 123 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. NFSG Corp boosted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 4,033.3% in the 3rd quarter. NFSG Corp now owns 124 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 57.4% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on AJG. Seaport Research Partners raised shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $284.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Evercore boosted their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $295.00 to $307.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets downgraded Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $295.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $292.05.

Check Out Our Latest Report on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

More Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. News

Here are the key news stories impacting Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target to $319 from $295 and maintained a Buy rating, citing potential upside. Wells Fargo also issued a Buy rating. Wells Fargo rating
  • Neutral Sentiment: Gallagher named Tom Doyle CEO of its Benefits & HR Consulting division as part of a leadership transition. The change may support continuity, though no financial impact was specified. Leadership transition announcement
  • Negative Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets cut AJG to Market Perform from Outperform, with a $295 target, saying it was “taking profits.” Citigroup also downgraded the stock to Neutral, saying the risk-reward balance had shifted. BMO downgrade Citigroup downgrade
  • Negative Sentiment: CFO Douglas Howell sold 30,996 shares and VP Christopher Mead sold 7,590 shares. Both sales reduced their respective holdings by about 25%; insider sales can weigh on sentiment, although they do not necessarily signal a change in the company’s outlook. CFO sale filing VP sale filing

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

(Get Free Report)

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co is a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting company. The firm helps businesses, public entities and individuals identify, manage and transfer risk through insurance and related services.

Its operations include retail insurance brokerage, employee benefits consulting, wholesale brokerage, reinsurance brokerage, claims administration and risk management consulting. Gallagher places commercial and personal insurance coverage and provides services related to property and casualty risks, health care, benefits, and other specialized insurance needs.

Founded in 1927 by Arthur J.

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Insider Buying and Selling by Quarter for Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

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