Guinness Asset Management LTD Sells 25,592 Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Guinness Asset Management LTD lowered its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 805,533 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 25,592 shares during the period. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. accounts for approximately 3.4% of Guinness Asset Management LTD’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Guinness Asset Management LTD’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $211,460,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. boosted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 1,881.1% in the fourth quarter. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. now owns 34,155 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,839,000 after acquiring an additional 32,431 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC boosted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 3,837 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $993,000 after acquiring an additional 517 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP bought a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at $3,407,000. Ignite Planners LLC boosted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 918 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $229,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 12.9% in the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 4,626 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,197,000 after acquiring an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.12, for a total value of $908,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 19,306 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,384,778.72. The trade was a 17.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 3,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.57, for a total value of $864,766.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 85,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,552,814.40. This trade represents a 4.24% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

AJG opened at $204.89 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $211.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $232.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The firm has a market cap of $52.64 billion, a PE ratio of 33.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.54. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1 year low of $190.75 and a 1 year high of $351.23.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.43 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $4.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 12.83% and a net margin of 10.76%.Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s quarterly revenue was up 29.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.67 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s payout ratio is currently 45.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upgraded shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price target for the company from $280.00 to $250.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $226.00 to $211.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $246.00 to $235.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $273.00 to $266.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group set a $240.00 target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Thursday. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $264.00.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

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.