Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC Sells 12,677 Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 46.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,687 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 12,677 shares during the period. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $3,372,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 650.0% during the 2nd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 105 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

Shares of AJG opened at $244.65 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05. The company has a market capitalization of $62.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $255.42 and a 200-day moving average of $228.58. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1 year low of $190.75 and a 1 year high of $313.55.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.81 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 13.28% and a net margin of 9.96%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 24.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.33 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 8th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AJG. Argus increased their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $267.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $287.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $275.00 to $292.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $299.00 to $296.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $290.28.

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

In other news, General Counsel Walter Bay sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.08, for a total transaction of $3,240,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 71,292 shares in the company, valued at $19,254,543.36. The trade was a 14.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Scott Hudson sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 90,262 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,840,902.06. The trade was a 11.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 27,500 shares of company stock valued at $7,310,090. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Profile

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

Its operations include retail insurance brokerage, employee benefits consulting, risk management, claims administration, actuarial services, captive insurance and wholesale brokerage. Gallagher arranges commercial property and casualty coverage, personal insurance, specialty insurance and employee benefit programs, while also providing services designed to help clients manage workplace, liability and other operational risks.

Founded in 1927 by Arthur J.