Asset Planning Inc Makes New Investment in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Asset Planning Inc acquired a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,196 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $339,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Valley National Advisers Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 543.8% during the third quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 103 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,674 shares in the company, valued at $4,440,499.14. This trade represents a 16.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Richard C. Cary sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.99, for a total value of $3,229,900.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,774 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,536,304.26. The trade was a 12.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,725 shares of company stock worth $4,972,964. Insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:AJG traded up $4.35 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $325.85. 1,318,476 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,832,089. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The business's fifty day moving average is $294.54 and its 200-day moving average is $292.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.98 and a beta of 0.77. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a one year low of $230.08 and a one year high of $329.60.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.03 by $0.10. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 16.47% and a net margin of 12.70%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.4 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 paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. This is a positive change from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s payout ratio is presently 39.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AJG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $312.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. TD Cowen upgraded Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $295.00 to $377.00 in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $286.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays lifted their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $300.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $344.00 to $341.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $307.00.

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.