Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG Stock: Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Trims Stake

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 536,693 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 18,378 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $122,425,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AJG. Triumph Capital Management grew its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 4,000.0% in the third quarter. Triumph Capital Management now owns 123 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. NFSG Corp increased its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 4,033.3% during the third quarter. NFSG Corp now owns 124 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Axiom Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 57.4% in the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on AJG shares. Citigroup cut Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $285.00 to $300.00 in a report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $290.00 to $315.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $284.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Seaport Research Partners raised shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $289.89.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Up 1.1%

NYSE AJG opened at $279.22 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $71.56 billion, a PE ratio of 21.68, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.55. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12 month low of $190.75 and a 12 month high of $281.53. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $248.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $232.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.98 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 9.96% and a return on equity of 13.28%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.32 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 18th. Investors of record on Monday, December 7th will be issued a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 7th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s payout ratio is presently 42.81%.

Insider Transactions at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In related news, VP Christopher Mead sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.02, for a total value of $899,570.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 22,223 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,711,755.46. This represents a 13.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Scott Hudson sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.13, for a total value of $3,169,560.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 90,262 shares in the company, valued at $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. Insiders have sold a total of 28,500 shares of company stock worth $7,562,950 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Here are the key news stories impacting Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target from $299 to $320 and maintained a “Buy” rating. The new target implies approximately 14.6% upside, signaling confidence in Gallagher’s earnings growth and business momentum. UBS raises Arthur J. Gallagher price target
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo increased its target from $284 to $312 and retained an “Overweight” rating. The higher target reflects an expectation that AJG can continue benefiting from revenue growth and favorable insurance-market conditions. Wells Fargo raises Arthur J. Gallagher price target
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays reaffirmed its “Buy” rating, adding to the broadly constructive analyst view. AJG also recently reached a new 52-week high after reporting strong earnings. Barclays reaffirms Buy rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional analyst actions raised price targets to $275 and $302, showing continued reassessment of AJG’s valuation after its earnings report. However, the $275 target is below the current trading level. Arthur J. Gallagher $275 price target Arthur J. Gallagher $302 price target
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup downgraded AJG from “Buy” to “Neutral.” Although Citi raised its price target from $285 to $300, the downgrade indicates that the stock’s recent rally may have reduced its risk-adjusted upside. Citigroup downgrades Arthur J. Gallagher

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Profile

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

Its operations include retail insurance brokerage, employee benefits consulting, wholesale brokerage, reinsurance brokerage, claims administration and risk management consulting. Gallagher places commercial and personal insurance coverage and provides services related to property and casualty risks, health care, benefits, and other specialized insurance needs.

Founded in 1927 by Arthur J.