The Goldman Sachs Group Downgrades Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) to Neutral

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) was downgraded by equities researchers at The Goldman Sachs Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. They presently have a $313.00 price objective on the financial services provider’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s price objective points to a potential downside of 0.04% from the stock’s current price.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Barclays upped their price objective on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $300.00 to $308.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $312.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. UBS Group increased their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $260.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $273.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $291.64.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE AJG opened at $313.13 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $289.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $278.03. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 52-week low of $218.63 and a 52-week high of $314.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.64, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.26. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. had a return on equity of 19.12% and a net margin of 10.40%. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.78 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.00 earnings per share. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will post 10.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, President Michael Robert Pesch sold 7,100 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 33,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,853,685.40. This trade represents a 17.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Christopher E. Mead sold 2,800 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $287.00, for a total value of $803,600.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,674 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,211,438. The trade was a 16.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 23,900 shares of company stock valued at $6,892,280. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the second quarter worth $26,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 580.0% in the third quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 102 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 543.8% in the third quarter. Pin Oak Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 103 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Finally, Creekmur Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in the first quarter worth $27,000. 85.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

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.