Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG Stake Increased by J.Safra Asset Management Corp

J.Safra Asset Management Corp raised its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 2,734.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,231 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,117 shares during the quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $836,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 worth $34,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 668.2% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 84.8% during the 4th quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 183 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter worth $51,000. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Up 1.5%

AJG stock opened at $220.25 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $210.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $228.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market capitalization of $56.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.52. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52 week low of $190.75 and a 52 week high of $327.34.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $4.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.43 by $0.04. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 10.76% and a return on equity of 12.83%. The business had revenue of $4.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.67 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 29.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s payout ratio is 45.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Richard C. Cary sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.00, for a total transaction of $618,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 47,819 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,850,714. This trade represents a 5.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on AJG shares. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $275.00 to $278.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $265.00 to $240.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $260.00 to $259.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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, Citigroup raised Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $280.00 to $250.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $264.59.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

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.