Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Shares Sold by Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 2.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 113,026 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,343 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $31,802,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Metis Global Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 17.9% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 9,389 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,642,000 after purchasing an additional 1,426 shares in the last quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC increased its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 13.9% in the third quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC now owns 3,501 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $985,000 after buying an additional 427 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 36.6% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 198,368 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $55,815,000 after buying an additional 53,106 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 10.6% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 1,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $422,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 46,182 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $12,994,000 after buying an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other news, President Michael Robert Pesch sold 7,100 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $296.20, for a total transaction of $2,103,020.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 33,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,853,685.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 2,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $287.00, for a total transaction of $803,600.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,674 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,211,438. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, President Michael Robert Pesch sold 7,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $296.20, for a total transaction of $2,103,020.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 33,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,853,685.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 23,900 shares of company stock valued at $6,892,280 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on AJG shares. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $260.00 to $292.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $269.00 to $274.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $300.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $309.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $241.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $289.14.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

NYSE AJG traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $298.52. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 19,627 shares, compared to its average volume of 842,775. The stock has a market cap of $65.50 billion, a PE ratio of 56.82, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $288.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $274.11. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52 week low of $218.63 and a 52 week high of $301.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.26 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.26. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.78 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 19.12% and a net margin of 10.40%. The firm’s revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.00 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 10.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Friday, December 6th will be given a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 6th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.71%.

About Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and reinsurance brokerage, consulting, and third-party property/casualty claims settlement and administration services to entities and individuals worldwide. It operates in Brokerage and Risk Management segments. The Brokerage segment offers retail and wholesale insurance and reinsurance brokerage services; assists retail brokers and other non-affiliated brokers in the placement of specialized and hard-to-place insurance; and acts as a brokerage wholesaler, managing general agent, and managing general underwriter for distributing specialized insurance coverages to underwriting enterprises.