Principal Financial Group Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 26.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,866,786 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 593,483 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $887,976,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. J.Safra Asset Management Corp raised its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 209.1% during the second quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 102 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 650.0% during the 2nd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 105 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 40.6% in the 3rd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 135 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the second quarter worth about $45,000. Finally, Solstein Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $49,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat and margin expansion — AJG reported $2.38 EPS (above estimates) with improving commissions/fees and Risk Management margin expansion, underpinning profit growth. Arthur J. Gallagher Q4 Earnings & Revenues Beat, Dividend Raised
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase — the company raised its quarterly dividend (7.7% increase), a cash-return signal that supports investor sentiment. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — William Blair reiterated a Buy rating today, citing reaffirmed growth outlook and margin expansion that support upside. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.: Reaffirmed Growth Outlook and Margin Expansion Support Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Operational outlook — management is targeting ~5.5% organic brokerage growth for 2026 and cites accelerating integration synergies, supporting medium?term revenue expansion. Arthur J Gallagher targets 5.5% brokerage organic growth for 2026 as integration synergies accelerate
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call available — the full Q4 earnings call transcript and slide deck are posted, useful for investors who want details on segment performance and integration assumptions. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (AJG) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst target cut — Keefe, Bruyette & Woods trimmed its price target to $249 and moved to Market Perform, introducing near-term selling pressure. Benzinga
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue shortfall vs. street — while EPS beat, some outlets report revenue missed consensus, which could temper enthusiasm until organic growth and integration gains prove durable. Arthur J Gallagher earnings missed by $1.77, revenue fell short of estimates

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Up 1.4%

AJG opened at $249.40 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.55, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.67. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a fifty-two week low of $236.34 and a fifty-two week high of $351.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. The company has a fifty day moving average of $253.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $276.39.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $0.03. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 11.84% and a return on equity of 12.19%. The company had revenue of $3.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.12 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 33.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $0.70 dividend. This is an increase from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s payout ratio is currently 38.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AJG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $272.00 to $249.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley set a $300.00 price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Friday, December 19th. Truist Financial set a $271.00 target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $311.00 to $298.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $292.00 price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $283.18.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Richard C. Cary sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.00, for a total value of $1,566,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 50,668 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,224,348. This represents a 10.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, General Counsel Walter D. Bay sold 15,850 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.00, for a total transaction of $4,041,750.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 79,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,284,995. This trade represents a 16.61% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 32,100 shares of company stock worth $8,243,865. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co is a global insurance brokerage and risk management firm headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Founded in 1927 by Arthur J. Gallagher, the company has grown from a regional broker into an international professional services organization that arranges insurance, provides consulting and designs risk-transfer solutions for commercial, industrial, public sector and individual clients.

The company’s core activities include property and casualty insurance brokerage, employee benefits consulting and administration, and a range of risk management services.