Mizuho Issues Positive Forecast for Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Stock Price

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) had its price objective lifted by analysts at Mizuho from $302.00 to $307.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Mizuho‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 8.17% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on AJG. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $284.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. UBS Group raised their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $299.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $290.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $295.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $285.00 to $260.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $292.32.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock traded up $6.52 on Friday, hitting $283.80. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 379,041 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,880,422. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $251.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $233.76. The company has a market capitalization of $72.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1 year low of $190.75 and a 1 year high of $294.53.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The financial services provider reported $3.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.01. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 10.39% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The firm had revenue of $3.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.98 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.32 earnings per share. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s revenue was up 19.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Douglas Howell sold 30,996 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.15, for a total value of $8,528,549.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 92,961 shares in the company, valued at $25,578,219.15. This trade represents a 25.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Susan Pietrucha sold 15,020 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $282.30, for a total value of $4,240,146.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,791 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,740,099.30. The trade was a 47.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 105,616 shares of company stock valued at $29,193,156. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 715,906.4% in the 3rd quarter. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC now owns 9,694,727 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,211,464,000 after buying an additional 9,693,373 shares in the last quarter. Gtcr LLC purchased a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter valued at $514,112,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 2nd quarter valued at $289,484,000. Tidal Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 303.7% in the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 638,601 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $146,604,000 after acquiring an additional 480,413 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 249.8% in the third quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 547,192 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $124,820,000 after acquiring an additional 390,753 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. is a global insurance brokerage and risk management services firm. It helps businesses and other organizations assess and manage risk, arrange insurance coverage, and address employee benefits needs. The company’s services include insurance brokerage, risk management consulting, employee benefits consulting, and claims and settlement services through its Gallagher Bassett business. It serves clients in the United States and internationally, including through a network of correspondent brokers.