Occidental Asset Management LLC Reduces Position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG)

Occidental Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) by 6.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,837 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 187 shares during the quarter. Occidental Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. were worth $638,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in AJG. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 175.6% in the third quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 113 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the third quarter worth about $28,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 460.9% in the fourth quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the second quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the third quarter worth about $45,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Price Performance

NYSE AJG traded up $2.25 on Friday, reaching $250.04. 960,721 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 860,213. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12 month low of $186.88 and a 12 month high of $256.10. The stock has a market cap of $54.58 billion, a PE ratio of 56.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.68. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $242.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $237.72.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.02. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a net margin of 9.63% and a return on equity of 18.49%. The firm had revenue of $2.39 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.54 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 10.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a $0.60 dividend. This is a boost from Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.96%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.05%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AJG shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $279.00 to $233.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $249.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $280.00 price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a research report on Tuesday. Raymond James cut shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from a “strong-buy” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 12th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $249.00 to $246.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $255.77.

Insider Transactions at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

In related news, Director David S. Johnson sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.04, for a total value of $117,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 45,038 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,540,693.52. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Joel D. Cavaness sold 1,207 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $255.20, for a total value of $308,026.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,023 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $516,269.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director David S. Johnson sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.04, for a total value of $117,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 45,038 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,540,693.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 29,016 shares of company stock worth $7,176,180. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

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.