Moody National Bank Trust Division Reduces Stock Position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Moody National Bank Trust Division cut its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 1.6% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 7,351 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 121 shares during the quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $2,538,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 37.5% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,367 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $472,000 after purchasing an additional 373 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 23.0% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 68,124 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,337,000 after acquiring an additional 12,730 shares during the period. IronOak Wealth LLC. purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $548,000. TFR Capital LLC. purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the fourth quarter worth approximately $770,000. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC grew its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 213 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. 85.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In related news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 10,500 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $337.17, for a total value of $3,540,285.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 91,175 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,741,474.75. This trade represents a 10.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Susan E. Pietrucha sold 13,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $344.13, for a total value of $4,645,755.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 11,941 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,109,256.33. This represents a 53.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 32,510 shares of company stock worth $11,033,341. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE:AJG opened at $341.54 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 52.38 and a beta of 0.78. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $332.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $314.96. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52 week low of $244.60 and a 52 week high of $350.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $3.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.57 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $3.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.85 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 16.47% and a net margin of 12.70%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.45 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th will be issued a $0.65 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 6th. This represents a $2.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on AJG. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $352.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $266.00 to $265.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Barclays upped their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $308.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $370.00 to $372.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $318.57.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Profile

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co engages in the provision of insurance brokerage, reinsurance brokerage, consulting, and third-party claims settlement and administration services. It operates through the following segments: Brokerage, Risk Management, and Corporate. The Brokerage segment consists of retail and wholesale insurance brokerage operations.