Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG Stock: Kestra Advisory Services LLC Grows Stake

Kestra Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 25.3% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 53,729 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,848 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $13,135,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AJG. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Triumph Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 4,000.0% in the 3rd quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 123 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. NFSG Corp boosted its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 4,033.3% in the 3rd quarter. NFSG Corp now owns 124 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 57.4% during the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, VP Scott Hudson sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $264.13, for a total value of $3,169,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 90,262 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,840,902.06. This represents a 11.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Christopher Mead sold 7,590 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $279.72, for a total transaction of $2,123,074.80. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 22,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,234,119.64. This represents a 25.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 90,596 shares of company stock valued at $24,953,010 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE AJG opened at $280.44 on Tuesday. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1 year low of $190.75 and a 1 year high of $294.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.88 billion, a PE ratio of 42.88, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The business’s 50-day moving average is $250.30 and its 200 day moving average is $233.34.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.00 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 10.39%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s quarterly revenue was up 19.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.32 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 18th. Investors of record on Monday, December 7th will be paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 7th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.81%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $284.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. UBS Group lifted their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $299.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Argus boosted their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $267.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, Evercore raised their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $295.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $292.05.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Profile

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co is a global insurance brokerage and risk management services firm. It helps businesses and other organizations assess and manage risk, arrange insurance coverage, and address employee benefits needs.

The company’s services include insurance brokerage, risk management consulting, employee benefits consulting, and claims and settlement services through its Gallagher Bassett business. It serves clients in the United States and internationally, including through a network of correspondent brokers.

Founded in 1927 by Arthur J.