Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Analyst Says

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) had its price target upped by research analysts at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $242.00 to $261.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “market perform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 2.44% from the company’s current price.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $275.00 to $278.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $260.00 to $259.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $235.00 to $265.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $280.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $267.12.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Up 2.0%

AJG stock opened at $254.78 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $213.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $225.64. The company has a market capitalization of $65.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.23, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.50. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a twelve month low of $190.75 and a twelve month high of $316.89.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.43 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The firm’s revenue was up 29.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.67 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other news, CAO Richard C. Cary sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.00, for a total transaction of $618,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 47,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,850,714. The trade was a 5.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AJG. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 650.0% in the 2nd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 105 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.