Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Stock: Insider Susan Pietrucha Sells 15,020 Shares

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) insider Susan Pietrucha sold 15,020 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $282.30, for a total value of $4,240,146.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 16,791 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,740,099.30. The trade was a 47.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock opened at $281.88 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $72.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $251.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $233.65. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a one year low of $190.75 and a one year high of $294.53.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $3.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 10.39%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s quarterly revenue was up 19.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.32 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.13 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 7th will be paid a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 7th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.81%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $299.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 2nd. Evercore increased 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. Oppenheimer started coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Argus boosted their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $267.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $295.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $292.05.

Institutional Trading of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Gtcr LLC purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 1st quarter worth about $514,112,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 2nd quarter valued at about $289,484,000. Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 303.7% in the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 638,601 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $146,604,000 after acquiring an additional 480,413 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 409,145 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 249.8% during the third quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 547,192 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $124,820,000 after acquiring an additional 390,753 shares during the period. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

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.