Baillie Gifford & Co. Reduces Holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Baillie Gifford & Co. lowered its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 31.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,628,965 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 751,982 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. owned approximately 0.65% of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. worth $462,382,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AJG. Valley National Advisers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. 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 acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 580.0% during 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. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company's stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

Shares of AJG stock traded down $2.05 on Thursday, reaching $325.28. 876,411 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,769,109. The company has a market cap of $81.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.89 and a beta of 0.77. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $296.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $292.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.51. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1 year low of $230.08 and a 1 year high of $329.60.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This is a boost from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.81%.

Insider Activity at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other news, Director David S. Johnson sold 325 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $322.06, for a total value of $104,669.50. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 44,783 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,422,812.98. This represents a 0.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Sherry S. Barrat sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.33, for a total transaction of $760,825.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 16,533 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,031,487.89. This trade represents a 13.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 15,725 shares of company stock valued at $4,972,964. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AJG has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $313.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, November 25th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective 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. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $300.00 to $308.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Piper Sandler raised shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $285.00 to $315.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average 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.