Xponance Inc. Has $6.52 Million Stock Position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Xponance Inc. raised its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 4.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,999 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,226 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $6,521,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 175.6% during the third quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 113 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 460.9% during the fourth quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 3rd quarter valued at $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AJG opened at $236.57 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $244.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $238.69. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a twelve month low of $198.52 and a twelve month high of $256.10.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.02. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 9.63% and a return on equity of 18.49%. The business had revenue of $2.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.54 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 10.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $0.60 dividend. This is a boost from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.05%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director David S. Johnson sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.04, for a total value of $117,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 45,038 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,540,693.52. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, Director David S. Johnson sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.04, for a total value of $117,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 45,038 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,540,693.52. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Thomas Joseph Gallagher sold 12,309 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.65, for a total transaction of $2,925,233.85. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 322,797 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $76,712,707.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 29,016 shares of company stock worth $7,176,180. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AJG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $279.00 to $233.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 9th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $270.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and set a $255.00 price objective (down from $280.00) on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $246.00 to $240.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $249.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $255.23.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and reinsurance brokerage, consulting, and third-party property/casualty claims settlement and administration services to entities and individuals worldwide. It operates in Brokerage and Risk Management segments. The Brokerage segment offers retail and wholesale insurance and reinsurance brokerage services; assists retail brokers and other non-affiliated brokers in the placement of specialized and hard-to-place insurance; and acts as a brokerage wholesaler, managing general agent, and managing general underwriter for distributing specialized insurance coverages to underwriting enterprises.