Kestra Investment Management LLC Purchases Shares of 168 Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 168 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $48,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 2,940 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $835,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 48,314 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $13,714,000 after buying an additional 5,198 shares in the last quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 18,702 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,309,000 after buying an additional 478 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 54,485 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,293,000 after buying an additional 1,361 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter worth $103,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock opened at $325.28 on Friday. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12-month low of $230.08 and a 12-month high of $329.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $297.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $293.00. The stock has a market cap of $82.85 billion, a PE ratio of 49.89 and a beta of 0.77.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.10. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 16.47% and a net margin of 12.70%. As a group, analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. This is a boost from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s payout ratio is 36.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on AJG. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $286.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $344.00 to $341.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays raised their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $300.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $320.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $307.00.

Insider Transactions at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other news, Director Sherry S. Barrat sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.33, for a total transaction of $760,825.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 16,533 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,031,487.89. The trade was a 13.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director David S. Johnson sold 325 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.06, for a total value of $104,669.50. Following the sale, the director now owns 44,783 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,422,812.98. This trade represents a 0.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 15,725 shares of company stock worth $4,972,964. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

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 business segments: Brokerage, Risk Management, and Corporate. The Brokerage segment consists of retail and wholesale insurance brokerage operations.