Analysts Set Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Target Price at $290.50

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twelve have assigned a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $290.50.

AJG has been the subject of a number of research reports. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $290.00 to $280.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $330.00 to $277.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Mizuho set a $277.00 price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $328.00 to $311.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Michael Robert Pesch purchased 4,000 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $247.12 per share, for a total transaction of $988,480.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the vice president directly owned 41,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,341,724.88. This represents a 10.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Richard C. Cary sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.00, for a total transaction of $1,566,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 50,668 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,224,348. The trade was a 10.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 32,100 shares of company stock worth $8,243,865 in the last three months. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Factory Mutual Insurance Co. lifted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 107.1% during the 2nd quarter. Factory Mutual Insurance Co. now owns 14,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,642,000 after acquiring an additional 7,500 shares during the period. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD increased its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 21.4% in the second quarter. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD now owns 9,961 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,189,000 after purchasing an additional 1,758 shares in the last quarter. Petra Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 2nd quarter worth about $812,000. Boston Partners grew its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 735,759 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $234,226,000 after buying an additional 2,806 shares during the period. Finally, Winslow Capital Management LLC increased its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Winslow Capital Management LLC now owns 828,466 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $265,209,000 after buying an additional 4,844 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Down 1.9%

NYSE AJG opened at $250.15 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $254.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $279.57. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a one year low of $236.34 and a one year high of $351.23. The firm has a market cap of $64.24 billion, a PE ratio of 37.39 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.32 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.51 by ($0.19). Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 11.98% and a net margin of 13.58%.The business had revenue of $3.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.26 EPS. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.86%.

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.