Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Shares Acquired by Csenge Advisory Group

Csenge Advisory Group boosted its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 57.0% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 2,779 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,009 shares during the period. Csenge Advisory Group’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $695,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in AJG. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 460.9% during the 4th quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Ruedi Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Security National Bank purchased a new stake in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE AJG opened at $270.12 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $256.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $244.79. The company has a market capitalization of $59.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.72. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12 month low of $212.39 and a 12 month high of $270.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 1.05.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The financial services provider reported $3.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.41 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $3.22 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 10.27%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.03 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 10.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th were issued a $0.60 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 7th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.58%.

Insider Activity at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, General Counsel Walter D. Bay sold 8,717 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction on Friday, May 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $257.00, for a total value of $2,240,269.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now owns 44,691 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,485,587. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director David S. Johnson sold 850 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.84, for a total value of $219,164.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 45,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,630,646.72. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Walter D. Bay sold 8,717 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $257.00, for a total value of $2,240,269.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel now owns 44,691 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,485,587. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 53,165 shares of company stock valued at $13,629,049. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AJG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an “underperform” rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $274.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 26th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $249.00 to $273.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Bank of America upped their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $233.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $282.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $263.00.

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.