Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Shares Acquired by Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI raised its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 73.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,998 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 847 shares during the quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI's holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $567,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 21.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 67,146 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $18,893,000 after acquiring an additional 11,752 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 231.2% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 885,796 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $249,237,000 after purchasing an additional 618,362 shares in the last quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC lifted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Running Oak Capital LLC now owns 48,722 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $13,830,000 after acquiring an additional 3,983 shares during the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC grew its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 1.2% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 183,857 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $51,732,000 after purchasing an additional 2,092 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 22,436 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,381,000 after acquiring an additional 3,217 shares during the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

AJG traded up $4.08 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $329.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,172,039 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,137,678. The business's 50-day moving average price is $312.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $298.22. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12 month low of $230.08 and a 12 month high of $345.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market cap of $83.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.51 and a beta of 0.75.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 12.70% and a return on equity of 16.47%. Sell-side analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This is a positive change from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.79%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s payout ratio is 39.88%.

Insider Transactions at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In related news, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 2,900 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.61, for a total value of $877,569.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,674 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,440,499.14. This represents a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Richard C. Cary sold 10,000 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $322.99, for a total transaction of $3,229,900.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 69,774 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,536,304.26. The trade was a 12.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,725 shares of company stock valued at $4,972,964 in the last quarter. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on AJG. Piper Sandler upgraded Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $285.00 to $315.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $344.00 to $341.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $313.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $295.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $307.93.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

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