Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG Shares Sold by U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC

U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC lessened its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 24.5% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 13,996 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,533 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $4,335,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. J.Safra Asset Management Corp grew its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 209.1% in the second quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 102 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 650.0% during the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 105 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steph & Co. purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the second quarter worth about $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, VP Michael Robert Pesch acquired 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was purchased 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 owned 41,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,341,724.88. This trade represents a 10.57% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Richard C. Cary sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 15,250 shares of company stock worth $4,275,745. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on AJG shares. Wolfe Research set a $289.00 price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Needham & Company LLC set a $272.00 price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $362.00 to $344.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $330.00 to $277.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $300.00 price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $303.11.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE:AJG opened at $253.17 on Friday. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52 week low of $236.34 and a 52 week high of $351.23. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $258.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $289.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.84 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.51 by ($0.19). Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 13.58% and a return on equity of 11.98%. The firm had revenue of $3.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.26 EPS. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s quarterly revenue was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current 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. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.86%.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

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.