First Nebraska Trust Co Buys 16,967 Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

First Nebraska Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 16,967 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,870,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AJG. Triumph Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 4,000.0% during the 3rd quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 123 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. NFSG Corp boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 57.4% in 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 during the period. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

AJG stock opened at $272.96 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $69.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1 year low of $190.75 and a 1 year high of $281.53. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $248.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $232.74.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $3.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 10.39%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.32 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 7th will be paid 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 dividend yield of 1.0%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.81%.

Key Headlines Impacting Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its target to $319 and maintained a Buy rating. UBS also raised its target to $320 and kept a Buy rating; Wells Fargo raised its target to $312 and maintained an Overweight rating. These higher targets suggest the firms see further upside. Jefferies rating Wells Fargo rating
• Positive Sentiment: A report on AJG’s third-quarter earnings call highlighted strong growth, reinforcing the company’s growth narrative. Earnings call highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Gallagher named Tom Doyle CEO of its Benefits & HR unit in a leadership transition. The announcement provides continuity, but no financial impact was specified. Leadership announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Citi cut AJG to Neutral, citing a more balanced risk-reward outlook, and BMO downgraded it to Market Perform. While both firms’ targets remain above the cited share price, the rating cuts may dampen investor enthusiasm. Citi downgrade BMO downgrade

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Christopher Mead sold 3,500 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 22,223 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,711,755.46. The trade was a 13.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Walter Bay sold 12,000 shares of the business’s 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 owned 71,292 shares in the company, valued at $19,254,543.36. This represents a 14.41% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 28,500 shares of company stock worth $7,562,950. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on AJG. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $295.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $295.00 to $319.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners raised Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $292.05.

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.