World Investment Advisors Sells 79,082 Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

World Investment Advisors trimmed its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Free Report) by 98.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,020 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 79,082 shares during the quarter. World Investment Advisors' holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $290,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AJG. Valley National Advisers Inc. acquired a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. MRP Capital Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC increased its holdings in 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 valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In related news, CAO Richard C. Cary sold 10,000 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 69,774 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,536,304.26. The trade was a 12.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 7,510 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.59, for a total transaction of $2,505,260.90. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 90,020 shares of the company's stock, valued at $30,029,771.80. This trade represents a 7.70 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 23,235 shares of company stock valued at $7,478,224 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on AJG. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $266.00 to $265.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $370.00 to $372.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $352.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen raised shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $295.00 to $377.00 in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $315.27.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Up 1.9 %

NYSE AJG traded up $6.47 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $340.49. The company's stock had a trading volume of 81,544 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,254,115. The company has a market capitalization of $87.07 billion, a PE ratio of 52.22 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.51, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52 week low of $230.08 and a 52 week high of $350.70. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $329.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $304.34.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 return on equity of 16.47% and a net margin of 12.70%. Research analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. This is an increase from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.88%.

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