Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Given New $325.00 Price Target at BMO Capital Markets

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) had its price target hoisted by BMO Capital Markets from $312.00 to $325.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the financial services provider's stock.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays began coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $300.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $269.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $272.00 to $286.00 in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Bank Of America (Bofa) raised their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $255.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $289.14.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Up 0.8 %

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock traded up $2.48 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $295.20. 764,625 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 845,968. The company has a market cap of $64.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.72. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a twelve month low of $218.63 and a twelve month high of $301.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The company has a fifty day moving average of $288.47 and a 200-day moving average of $273.51.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.26. The company had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.78 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 10.40% and a return on equity of 19.12%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.00 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 10.11 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th will be issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 6th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s payout ratio is 45.71%.

Insider Activity at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 7,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.70, for a total transaction of $1,992,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 75,963 shares in the company, valued at $21,626,666.10. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 2,800 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $287.00, for a total value of $803,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,674 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,211,438. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 7,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.70, for a total transaction of $1,992,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 75,963 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,626,666.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 23,900 shares of company stock worth $6,892,280. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the second quarter worth $26,000. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 89.7% in the 2nd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 110 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

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.