Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG Shares Purchased by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. boosted its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 12.0% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 22,884 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,456 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $5,587,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 14.4% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,242,088 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $702,182,000 after purchasing an additional 409,145 shares in the last quarter. Gtcr LLC purchased a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $514,112,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,970,990 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $426,887,000 after purchasing an additional 101,431 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 23.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,854,488 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $401,645,000 after purchasing an additional 346,409 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,453,774 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $333,743,000 after purchasing an additional 3,905 shares during the period. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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

In other news, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 30,996 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.15, for a total transaction of $8,528,549.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 92,961 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,578,219.15. The trade was a 25.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP William F. Ziebell sold 23,510 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.62, for a total transaction of $6,738,436.20. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 48,942 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,027,756.04. This trade represents a 32.45% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 105,616 shares of company stock valued at $29,193,156. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AJG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Friday, October 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $290.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 30th. Evercore upped their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $295.00 to $307.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Seaport Research Partners raised shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $292.05.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of AJG stock opened at $282.86 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The company has a market cap of $72.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.25, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.47. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $250.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $233.51. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1-year low of $190.75 and a 1-year high of $294.53.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.01. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 10.39%. The firm 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 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 19.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 7th will be given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 7th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.81%.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. is a global insurance brokerage and risk management services firm. It helps businesses and other organizations assess and manage risk, arrange insurance coverage, and address employee benefits needs. The company’s services include insurance brokerage, risk management consulting, employee benefits consulting, and claims and settlement services through its Gallagher Bassett business. It serves clients in the United States and internationally, including through a network of correspondent brokers.