Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG Shares Sold by Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers LLC

Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers LLC lowered its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 2.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 175,977 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 5,294 shares during the period. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. accounts for 4.1% of Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Mountain Pacific Investment Advisers LLC’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $56,334,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of AJG. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Centennial Bank AR acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 2,750.0% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 12,855 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.60, for a total transaction of $3,825,648.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 85,920 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,569,792. This trade represents a 13.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 8,000 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction on Monday, September 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $299.54, for a total transaction of $2,396,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 100,777 shares in the company, valued at $30,186,742.58. The trade was a 7.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 29,855 shares of company stock valued at $8,916,928 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

NYSE:AJG opened at $305.83 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $297.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $317.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.42 billion, a PE ratio of 43.44 and a beta of 0.73. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12 month low of $275.56 and a 12 month high of $351.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.36.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.36 by ($0.03). Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 13.17% and a net margin of 14.54%.The business had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.29 EPS. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 5th were given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 5th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s payout ratio is 36.93%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $317.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays cut their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $346.00 to $327.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 7th. Wall Street Zen raised Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $322.00 to $329.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $330.93.

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