Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Grows Stock Position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. boosted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 6.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 786 shares during the quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $3,710,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 16.4% in the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 10,243 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,882,000 after purchasing an additional 1,443 shares in the last quarter. Forte Capital LLC ADV grew its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 2.5% in the third quarter. Forte Capital LLC ADV now owns 3,626 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,020,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 231.2% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 885,796 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $249,237,000 after purchasing an additional 618,362 shares in the last quarter. Washington Trust Bank purchased a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the third quarter valued at $207,000. Finally, Ascent Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 30.7% in the third quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 24,822 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,984,000 after purchasing an additional 5,824 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In related news, CAO Richard C. Cary sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.99, for a total transaction of $3,229,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,774 shares in the company, valued at $22,536,304.26. This represents a 12.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.61, for a total value of $877,569.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 14,674 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,440,499.14. This trade represents a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,725 shares of company stock worth $4,972,964 in the last ninety days. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

AJG opened at $340.18 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $307.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $296.62. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12-month low of $230.08 and a 12-month high of $345.43. 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 capitalization of $86.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.17 and a beta of 0.77.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 16.47% and a net margin of 12.70%. Equities analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This is a boost from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on AJG shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $295.00 to $308.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $312.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Piper Sandler upgraded Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $285.00 to $315.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $300.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $307.93.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Profile

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 business segments: Brokerage, Risk Management, and Corporate. The Brokerage segment consists of retail and wholesale insurance brokerage operations.