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

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) saw a significant decrease in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 4,948,436 shares, a decrease of 13.5% from the January 29th total of 5,722,133 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,449,747 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.4 days. Approximately 2.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Approximately 2.0% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 3,449,747 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.4 days.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Up 0.7%

AJG traded up $1.59 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $226.82. The company had a trading volume of 1,435,833 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,520,371. The company has a market cap of $58.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.88, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.67. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12 month low of $195.00 and a 12 month high of $351.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $241.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $264.66.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $3.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 11.84% and a return on equity of 12.13%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 33.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.12 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This is a positive change from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.28%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.11, for a total value of $1,032,440.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 17,327 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,472,271.97. This trade represents a 18.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $258.05, for a total value of $1,290,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 95,777 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,715,254.85. This represents a 4.96% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 24,850 shares of company stock valued at $6,364,440 over the last three months. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 870.0% in the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 97 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 650.0% during the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 105 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AJG has been the topic of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their target price for the company from $289.00 to $275.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $285.00 to $283.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $311.00 to $298.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wolfe Research set a $289.00 price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $281.76.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

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.