Natixis Investment Managers International Reduces Stock Position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Natixis Investment Managers International cut its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 71.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 965 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,450 shares during the quarter. Natixis Investment Managers International’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $217,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 175.6% in the 3rd quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 113 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 460.9% in the 4th quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Security National Bank acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

Shares of AJG traded up $2.48 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $253.53. The stock had a trading volume of 698,885 shares, compared to its average volume of 706,937. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52 week low of $203.35 and a 52 week high of $259.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $244.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $241.18. The company has a market capitalization of $55.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.72.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The financial services provider reported $3.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.41 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $3.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.18 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 10.27%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.03 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 10.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 7th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.58%.

Insider Transactions at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.06, for a total transaction of $3,825,900.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 96,709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,666,597.54. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 15,000 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.06, for a total transaction of $3,825,900.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 96,709 shares in the company, valued at $24,666,597.54. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, General Counsel Walter D. Bay sold 8,717 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction on Friday, May 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.00, for a total value of $2,240,269.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel now owns 44,691 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,485,587. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 51,069 shares of company stock valued at $12,946,945 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AJG has been the subject of several research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $246.00 to $240.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $233.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $253.00 to $252.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Truist Financial restated a “hold” rating and set a $255.00 price objective (down previously from $280.00) on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $249.00 to $273.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $255.71.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and reinsurance brokerage, consulting, and third-party property/casualty claims settlement and administration services to entities and individuals worldwide. It operates in Brokerage and Risk Management segments. The Brokerage segment offers retail and wholesale insurance and reinsurance brokerage services; assists retail brokers and other non-affiliated brokers in the placement of specialized and hard-to-place insurance; and acts as a brokerage wholesaler, managing general agent, and managing general underwriter for distributing specialized insurance coverages to underwriting enterprises.