Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG Stock Holdings Boosted by Czech National Bank

Czech National Bank boosted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 4.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 67,715 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,604 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $17,524,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the second quarter worth approximately $1,601,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 27.8% in the 2nd quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 5,299 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,696,000 after acquiring an additional 1,152 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 13.9% during the 2nd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 6,254 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,002,000 after acquiring an additional 764 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 234,681 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $75,095,000 after acquiring an additional 7,824 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 38.9% during the 2nd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 6,076 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,945,000 after acquiring an additional 1,701 shares during the period. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Down 1.7%

AJG opened at $210.01 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a current ratio of 1.06. The company has a market capitalization of $53.99 billion, a PE ratio of 34.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.67. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $226.21 and its 200-day moving average is $254.97. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a one year low of $195.00 and a one year high of $351.23.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $3.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.61 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 12.13% and a net margin of 11.84%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 33.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.12 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict 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 given a dividend of $0.70 per share. This is a positive change from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s payout ratio is 45.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AJG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial lowered their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $271.00 to $235.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $279.00 to $249.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $300.00 target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Wolfe Research set a $289.00 price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price target 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. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $273.82.

Insider Activity at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 3,800 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $19,552,814.40. The trade was a 4.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.12, for a total transaction of $908,480.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 19,306 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,384,778.72. This represents a 17.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

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.