Woodward Diversified Capital LLC Sells 1,747 Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Woodward Diversified Capital LLC reduced its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 44.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,196 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 1,747 shares during the period. Woodward Diversified Capital LLC's holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $623,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 580.0% during the 3rd 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. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 543.8% in the 3rd 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 during the period. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:AJG traded up $2.79 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $324.79. The stock had a trading volume of 1,099,538 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,863,780. The firm has a market cap of $81.13 billion, a PE ratio of 49.81 and a beta of 0.77. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $292.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $291.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a twelve month low of $230.08 and a twelve month high of $325.10.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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, research analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend 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 36.81%.

Insider Transactions at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, Director David S. Johnson sold 325 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at approximately $14,422,812.98. The trade was a 0.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 2,900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.61, for a total value of $877,569.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,674 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,440,499.14. This trade represents a 16.50 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,725 shares of company stock valued at $4,972,964 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AJG has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $286.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $295.00 to $377.00 in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on 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. Finally, Piper Sandler raised Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $285.00 to $315.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $307.00.

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