Analysts Set Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Price Target at $257.62

Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $255.23.

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $270.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $279.00 to $233.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $246.00 to $240.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $255.00 target price (down previously from $280.00) on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $249.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd.

Insider Activity at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In related news, VP Joel D. Cavaness sold 1,207 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.20, for a total transaction of $308,026.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,023 shares in the company, valued at $516,269.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, Director David S. Johnson sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.04, for a total transaction of $117,020.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 45,038 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,540,693.52. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Joel D. Cavaness sold 1,207 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.20, for a total transaction of $308,026.40. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,023 shares in the company, valued at $516,269.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 29,016 shares of company stock worth $7,176,180. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AJG. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 7.5% during the first quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,287 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 49.0% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 5,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $925,000 after buying an additional 1,744 shares in the last quarter. Prudential PLC purchased a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the first quarter worth about $838,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 37.7% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,532 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $442,000 after buying an additional 693 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 25.0% in the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 11,184 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,953,000 after buying an additional 2,235 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Down 1.1 %

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock opened at $232.09 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12-month low of $198.52 and a 12-month high of $256.10. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $244.65 and its 200 day moving average is $238.68. The company has a market capitalization of $50.67 billion, a PE ratio of 52.27, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.68.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.02. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 9.63% and a return on equity of 18.49%. The firm had revenue of $2.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.54 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 10.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.03%. This is a positive change from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.05%.

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.