AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

AssuredPartners Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,213 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $344,000.

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

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock traded down $1.90 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $341.96. The company had a trading volume of 427,060 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,217,495. 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 company has a market capitalization of $87.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.41 and a beta of 0.75. The company's fifty day moving average is $323.67 and its 200-day moving average is $301.67. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12-month low of $230.08 and a 12-month high of $355.16.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. This is a positive change from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AJG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $341.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Piper Sandler raised shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the company from $285.00 to $315.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $308.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $352.00 price objective for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $313.20.

Insider Activity

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 7,510 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.59, for a total value of $2,505,260.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 90,020 shares of the company's stock, valued at $30,029,771.80. The trade was a 7.70 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 2,900 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 14,674 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,440,499.14. The trade was a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 23,235 shares of company stock worth $7,478,224 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

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