Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Short Interest Update

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 9,370,000 shares, a growth of 27.7% from the December 15th total of 7,340,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,730,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.4 days.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

AJG stock traded down $0.57 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $295.22. 1,261,458 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,133,369. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a one year low of $227.08 and a one year high of $316.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.23 and a beta of 0.76. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $291.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $286.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.26. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 10.40% and a return on equity of 19.12%. The business had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.78 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.00 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 10.06 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th were given a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is 45.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $315.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays raised their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $300.00 to $308.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $269.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Piper Sandler upgraded Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $285.00 to $315.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $313.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $304.07.

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

In other news, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 2,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $287.00, for a total value of $803,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,674 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,211,438. This represents a 16.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 7,000 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.70, for a total transaction of $1,992,900.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 75,963 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,626,666.10. This trade represents a 8.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AJG. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the second quarter worth about $317,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 10.7% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 673,456 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $174,640,000 after acquiring an additional 64,864 shares during the last quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 13.3% in the 2nd quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 963 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $250,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 12.7% during the second quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,086 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,578,000 after acquiring an additional 686 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 2.0% during the second quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT now owns 24,778 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,425,000 after purchasing an additional 488 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

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.