Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Raises Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Price Target to $314.00

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) had its price objective increased by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $308.00 to $314.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a market perform rating on the financial services provider's stock.

AJG has been the subject of several other reports. Barclays increased their price target on shares of 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. TD Cowen raised Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $295.00 to $377.00 in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $344.00 to $341.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler upgraded Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $285.00 to $315.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Truist Financial upped 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 research note on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $313.20.

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Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

AJG traded down $0.12 on Friday, hitting $337.55. 1,426,982 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,148,803. The company has a 50 day moving average of $318.98 and a 200-day moving average of $300.11. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12-month low of $230.08 and a 12-month high of $345.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.97 billion, a PE ratio of 51.77 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. This is a boost from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s payout ratio is 39.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In related news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 7,510 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.59, for a total value of $2,505,260.90. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 90,020 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $30,029,771.80. This trade represents a 7.70 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director David S. Johnson sold 325 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.06, for a total value of $104,669.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 44,783 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,422,812.98. The trade was a 0.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 23,235 shares of company stock worth $7,478,224. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC bought a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 81.7% in the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 109 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 205.4% in the fourth quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 113 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% 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.