Welch Group LLC Purchases 2,711 Shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. $AJG

Welch Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 229,225 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,711 shares during the quarter. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. comprises about 2.3% of Welch Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Welch Group LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. worth $59,321,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fisher Funds Management LTD lifted its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 49.7% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Funds Management LTD now owns 137,840 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,976,000 after buying an additional 45,762 shares during the last quarter. Iams Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 17.7% during the 4th quarter. Iams Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,557 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,474,000 after buying an additional 1,438 shares during the last quarter. Argo Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 4th quarter worth about $2,395,000. Independent Wealth Network Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 4th quarter worth about $237,000. Finally, Thomasville National Bank lifted its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Thomasville National Bank now owns 109,058 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,223,000 after buying an additional 710 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In related news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 3,800 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.57, for a total transaction of $864,766.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 85,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,552,814.40. The trade was a 4.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.12, for a total transaction of $908,480.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 19,306 shares in the company, valued at $4,384,778.72. The trade was a 17.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AJG opened at $224.21 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $216.73 and a 200-day moving average of $246.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.65 billion, a PE ratio of 36.46, a PEG ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12 month low of $195.00 and a 12 month high of $351.23.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.38 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.35 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $3.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.61 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 11.84% and a return on equity of 12.13%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 33.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.12 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 11.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. This is a boost from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s payout ratio is presently 45.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $277.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Friday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $292.00 price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $283.00 to $280.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $273.94.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

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.