Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Shares Sold by Mount Lucas Management LP

Mount Lucas Management LP lowered its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 43.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,868 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 4,425 shares during the quarter. Mount Lucas Management LP's holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $1,651,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of AJG. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 580.0% in the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 102 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. grew its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 89.7% in the second quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 110 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AJG traded down $0.13 during trading on Friday, hitting $294.58. 948,405 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 819,487. 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 business's fifty day moving average is $288.49 and its 200-day moving average is $274.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.11, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.72. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a one year low of $218.63 and a one year high of $301.04.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.26. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.78 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 19.12% and a net margin of 10.40%. The firm's revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.00 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 10.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 is Friday, December 6th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.81%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $269.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $273.00 to $288.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $272.00 to $286.00 in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $300.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $289.14.

Insider Activity at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 2,800 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $287.00, for a total transaction of $803,600.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 14,674 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,211,438. The trade was a 16.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.68, for a total value of $1,992,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 75,963 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,625,146.84. The trade was a 8.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 23,900 shares of company stock worth $6,892,280 in the last ninety days. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. 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.