Royal Bank Of Canada Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Stock Price

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) had its target price lowered by Royal Bank Of Canada from $310.00 to $290.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 27.38% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on AJG. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $296.00 to $291.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Thursday. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $276.00 to $287.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $291.00 to $299.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $225.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $288.44.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of AJG stock opened at $227.66 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $252.86 and a 200-day moving average of $229.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market cap of $58.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.84, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.50. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 1-year low of $190.75 and a 1-year high of $313.55.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.81 by $0.03. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 9.96% and a return on equity of 13.28%. The firm had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.33 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 24.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 13.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Scott Hudson sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Christopher Mead sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.02, for a total value of $899,570.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 22,223 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,711,755.46. This trade represents a 13.61% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 28,500 shares of company stock worth $7,562,950. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Capital World Investors increased its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 12,613,371 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,264,359,000 after buying an additional 830,252 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,925,062,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 123.5% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,887,538 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,523,636,000 after purchasing an additional 3,253,498 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 14.4% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,242,088 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $702,182,000 after buying an additional 409,145 shares during the period. Finally, Gtcr LLC purchased a new position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the first quarter valued at $514,112,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.53% of the company’s stock.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

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

Its operations include retail insurance brokerage, employee benefits consulting, risk management, claims administration, actuarial services, captive insurance and wholesale brokerage. Gallagher arranges commercial property and casualty coverage, personal insurance, specialty insurance and employee benefit programs, while also providing services designed to help clients manage workplace, liability and other operational risks.

Founded in 1927 by Arthur J.