Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG Stock: Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE Raises Stake

Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE grew its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 166.6% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 176,899 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 110,555 shares during the period. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. comprises 12.4% of Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Lawson Kroeker Investment Management Inc. NE’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $40,352,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of AJG. Gtcr LLC purchased a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter valued at $514,112,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the second quarter worth about $289,484,000. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 303.7% in the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 638,601 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $146,604,000 after purchasing an additional 480,413 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 14.4% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,242,088 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $702,182,000 after purchasing an additional 409,145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 23.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,854,488 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $401,645,000 after buying an additional 346,409 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of AJG opened at $268.28 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $68.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $247.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $233.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1 year low of $190.75 and a 1 year high of $284.17.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.01 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 9.96% and a return on equity of 13.28%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 24.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.33 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 8th were issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.13, for a total transaction of $3,169,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 90,262 shares in the company, valued at $23,840,902.06. This represents a 11.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.02, for a total value of $899,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 28,500 shares of company stock worth $7,562,950 in the last 90 days. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on AJG. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $300.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Seaport Research Partners raised shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $310.00 to $290.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Wolfe Research cut Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $225.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $280.74.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

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.