Insider Selling: Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Director Sells $342,040.00 in Stock

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Director David S. Johnson sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.04, for a total value of $342,040.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 45,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,502,278.92. The trade was a 2.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Down 0.7%

NYSE:AJG opened at $335.21 on Friday. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1 year low of $244.60 and a 1 year high of $350.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market cap of $85.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.41 and a beta of 0.78. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $331.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $313.25.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.10. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 16.47% and a net margin of 12.70%. The firm had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.45 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.78%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AJG. Barclays boosted their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $308.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $307.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $266.00 to $265.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $370.00 to $372.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $318.57.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AJG. Empirical Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter worth about $202,000. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter worth about $205,000. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 42.9% during the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 7,947 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,256,000 after buying an additional 2,384 shares during the period. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter worth about $476,000. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 105.8% during the fourth quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,786 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,926,000 after buying an additional 3,489 shares during the period. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co engages in the provision of insurance brokerage, reinsurance brokerage, consulting, and third-party claims settlement and administration services. It operates through the following segments: Brokerage, Risk Management, and Corporate. The Brokerage segment consists of retail and wholesale insurance brokerage operations.