UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Purchases 3,905 Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,453,774 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,905 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $333,743,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 650.0% in the 2nd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 105 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.02, for a total transaction of $899,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 22,223 shares in the company, valued at $5,711,755.46. This trade represents a 13.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, General Counsel Walter D. Bay sold 12,000 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction on Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.08, for a total transaction of $3,240,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 71,292 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,254,543.36. The trade was a 14.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of AJG stock opened at $262.39 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $250.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $226.19. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52 week low of $190.75 and a 52 week high of $313.55. The stock has a market cap of $67.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.51, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.03. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 13.28% and a net margin of 9.96%.The company had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.33 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be given a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 8th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s payout ratio is currently 46.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AJG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Argus increased their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $267.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $235.00 to $265.00 in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $287.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $270.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $250.00 to $285.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $290.28.

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.