Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG Stock Bought by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 25.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 303,176 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 61,288 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.12% of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. worth $72,848,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AJG. Axiom Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Triumph Capital Management boosted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 4,000.0% during the third quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 123 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. NFSG Corp grew its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 4,033.3% in the third quarter. NFSG Corp now owns 124 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on AJG shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Friday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $284.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, November 9th. Seaport Research Partners upgraded Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $296.00 target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Friday, October 30th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $292.32.

Insider Activity at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 approximately $23,840,902.06. The trade was a 11.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Walter D. Bay sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.08, for a total value of $3,240,960.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 71,292 shares in the company, valued at $19,254,543.36. The trade was a 14.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 105,616 shares of company stock valued at $29,193,156 over the last quarter. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Up 1.9%

Shares of NYSE AJG traded up $5.32 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $282.60. The stock had a trading volume of 1,182,189 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,887,548. The business’s 50 day moving average is $251.69 and its 200-day moving average is $233.96. The company has a market cap of $72.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.21, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.47. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52 week low of $190.75 and a 52 week high of $294.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.00 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $3.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.98 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 10.39% and a return on equity of 13.90%. 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 posted $2.32 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.13 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

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

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. is a global insurance brokerage and risk management services firm. It helps businesses and other organizations assess and manage risk, arrange insurance coverage, and address employee benefits needs. The company’s services include insurance brokerage, risk management consulting, employee benefits consulting, and claims and settlement services through its Gallagher Bassett business. It serves clients in the United States and internationally, including through a network of correspondent brokers.