Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 23.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 80,678 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 15,340 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $22,900,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 543.8% in 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 last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position 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 worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance
Shares of AJG stock opened at $326.26 on Wednesday. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12 month low of $230.08 and a 12 month high of $345.43. The firm's 50 day moving average is $309.48 and its 200 day moving average is $297.47. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $83.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.04 and a beta of 0.75.
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last released 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 net margin of 12.70% and a return on equity of 16.47%. On average, 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. 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 is 39.88%.
Insider Activity
In related news, CAO Richard C. Cary sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $322.99, for a total value of $3,229,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,774 shares in the company, valued at $22,536,304.26. This trade represents a 12.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 2,900 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.61, for a total transaction of $877,569.00. Following 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,725 shares of company stock valued at $4,972,964. Insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research firms recently weighed in on AJG. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $312.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $295.00 to $308.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Piper Sandler raised shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $285.00 to $315.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Barclays boosted 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $307.93.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on AJG
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
Read More
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AJG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.
Before you consider Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. wasn't on the list.
While Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Unlock your free copy of MarketBeat's comprehensive guide to pot stock investing and discover which cannabis companies are poised for growth. Plus, you'll get exclusive access to our daily newsletter with expert stock recommendations from Wall Street's top analysts.
Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.
Link copied to clipboard.