Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Cut to “Market Perform” at BMO Capital Markets

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) was downgraded by BMO Capital Markets from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $295.00 price objective on the financial services provider’s stock. BMO Capital Markets‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 5.65% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on AJG. Citigroup lowered shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $285.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Monday. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $271.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $296.00 price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Friday. Wolfe Research cut shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners upgraded shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $290.79.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

AJG opened at $279.22 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $248.73 and a 200 day moving average of $232.66. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52-week low of $190.75 and a 52-week high of $281.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market cap of $71.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.69, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.55.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.01. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 13.28% and a net margin of 9.96%. The business had revenue of $3.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.32 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 19.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.15 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other news, VP Scott Hudson sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.13, for a total transaction of $3,169,560.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 90,262 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,840,902.06. This trade represents a 11.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Richard Cary sold 1,000 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.86, for a total value of $252,860.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 46,819 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,838,652.34. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 28,500 shares of company stock worth $7,562,950 over the last quarter. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AJG. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 4.9% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 811 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $186,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC boosted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 1,157 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $264,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. MGO One Seven LLC boosted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 6,989 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,594,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Conning Inc. boosted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 981 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Archford Capital Strategies LLC grew its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Archford Capital Strategies LLC now owns 1,871 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $430,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Here are the key news stories impacting Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target from $299 to $320 and maintained a “Buy” rating. The new target implies approximately 14.6% upside, signaling confidence in Gallagher’s earnings growth and business momentum. UBS raises Arthur J. Gallagher price target
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo increased its target from $284 to $312 and retained an “Overweight” rating. The higher target reflects an expectation that AJG can continue benefiting from revenue growth and favorable insurance-market conditions. Wells Fargo raises Arthur J. Gallagher price target
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reaffirmed its “Buy” rating, adding to the broadly constructive analyst view. AJG also recently reached a new 52-week high after reporting strong earnings. Barclays reaffirms Buy rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional analyst actions raised price targets to $275 and $302, showing continued reassessment of AJG’s valuation after its earnings report. However, the $275 target is below the current trading level. Arthur J. Gallagher $275 price target Arthur J. Gallagher $302 price target
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup downgraded AJG from “Buy” to “Neutral.” Although Citi raised its price target from $285 to $300, the downgrade indicates that the stock’s recent rally may have reduced its risk-adjusted upside. Citigroup downgrades Arthur J. Gallagher

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co is a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting company. The firm helps businesses, public entities and individuals identify, manage and transfer risk through insurance and related services.

Its operations include retail insurance brokerage, employee benefits consulting, wholesale brokerage, reinsurance brokerage, claims administration and risk management consulting. Gallagher places commercial and personal insurance coverage and provides services related to property and casualty risks, health care, benefits, and other specialized insurance needs.

Founded in 1927 by Arthur J.