Analysts Set Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Price Target at $319.36

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the fourteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $319.29.

Several analysts have issued reports on AJG shares. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $352.00 target price for the company. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $308.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $266.00 to $265.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $372.00 to $371.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $315.00 to $326.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, June 5th.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

AJG stock opened at $314.29 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $331.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $317.12. The stock has a market cap of $80.49 billion, a PE ratio of 48.20 and a beta of 0.74. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a one year low of $251.42 and a one year high of $351.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.51 and a quick ratio of 1.51.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.57 by $0.10. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 12.70% and a return on equity of 16.47%. The company had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.45 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 6th will be given a dividend of $0.65 per share. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 6th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 37.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, Director David S. Johnson sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $342.04, for a total value of $342,040.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 45,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,502,278.92. The trade was a 2.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 7,510 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 90,020 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,029,771.80. The trade was a 7.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 32,510 shares of company stock worth $11,033,341 in the last three months. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MRP Capital Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 81.7% during the fourth 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 last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 205.4% in the 4th quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 113 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.