Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA Invests $1.83 Million in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 5,710 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,828,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter worth $33,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter worth $34,000. Centennial Bank AR acquired a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 2,750.0% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

Shares of AJG opened at $309.73 on Wednesday. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a fifty-two week low of $275.56 and a fifty-two week high of $351.23. The company has a market capitalization of $79.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.00 and a beta of 0.72. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $297.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $317.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.36.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The financial services provider reported $2.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.36 by ($0.03). Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 13.17% and a net margin of 14.54%.The business had revenue of $3.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.29 EPS. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 19th. Investors of record on Friday, September 5th were issued a dividend of $0.65 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 5th. This represents a $2.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AJG has been the subject of several analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald raised Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $346.00 to $327.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 7th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $317.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $369.00 to $365.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $330.93.

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

In related news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 12,855 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.60, for a total transaction of $3,825,648.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 85,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,569,792. This trade represents a 13.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $299.54, for a total transaction of $2,396,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 100,777 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $30,186,742.58. This trade represents a 7.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 29,855 shares of company stock valued at $8,916,928. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

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.