Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Sells 38,575 Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lowered its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 34.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 74,346 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 38,575 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $19,240,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 870.0% in the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 97 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 650.0% in the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 105 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the third quarter worth $39,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 40.6% in the third quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 135 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 136 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the period. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AJG opened at $213.94 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $227.13 and its 200 day moving average is $255.28. The stock has a market cap of $55.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.67. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1-year low of $195.00 and a 1-year high of $351.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $0.03. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 12.13% and a net margin of 11.84%.The business had revenue of $3.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.12 earnings per share. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s revenue for the quarter was up 33.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a $0.70 dividend. This is a positive change from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AJG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC set a $272.00 target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $279.00 to $249.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $275.00 to $278.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $249.00 to $226.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $260.00 target price on the stock. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $273.82.

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

In related news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 3,800 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.57, for a total value of $864,766.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 85,920 shares in the company, valued at $19,552,814.40. This trade represents a 4.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.12, for a total transaction of $908,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 19,306 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,384,778.72. This represents a 17.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co is a global insurance brokerage and risk management firm headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Founded in 1927 by Arthur J. Gallagher, the company has grown from a regional broker into an international professional services organization that arranges insurance, provides consulting and designs risk-transfer solutions for commercial, industrial, public sector and individual clients.

The company’s core activities include property and casualty insurance brokerage, employee benefits consulting and administration, and a range of risk management services.