Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Q1 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

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But – and the business now I think they would really feel like they are part of the enterprise. They are not the new kids anymore. There is always a period when you come to school and you are the new kid. You are the new kid, right. Well, that’s not it anymore. I mean you see them in the hall, they recognize the retailers, they recognize me, Doug, whatever. And the opportunities to invest in data and analytics there and the thirst for that from their clients, tremendous opportunities, and it’s working out incredibly well.

Mike Ward: Thanks. And then maybe just one last one on group benefits, kind of curious if you can sort of discuss how the renewals have gone and how top line is trending from your perspective. And I guess the – what’s the tone like among the customer base in terms of health of the economy and then hiring and labor?

J. Patrick Gallagher: Well, interestingly, like, the tone from our clients is there is a large amount of concern. And we are sitting with clients that, a, in some instances, don’t know why they have turnover. And we are able to get in and do some data analytics around what’s going on with them and where – what’s going on there. So, a very deep concern about wanting to hold on to their top people. We also have an awful lot of people just trying to attract people to fill jobs. Pick stuff off of racks, serve tables, whatever, and that’s difficult. So, they are trying to differentiate themselves in that regard.

Doug Howell: And there is a lot of concern on their part around cost. Medical inflation is real. Those costs get passed directly back to the employer. Then you have got the whole problem of inflation. Inflation is difficult. So, I think what it’s doing is it’s making our professionals far more valuable than the local person that comes out and says there is four of us in the office and we are really good at this, and let me show you a PPO and maybe I can get another quote for your insurance. That’s just not cutting it anymore. And that’s not, I am not talking about 5,000 live cases here. The people that are employing 100, 150, 200 people, they need this kind of help. So, it’s a very robust period for us, and it is a difficult time for employers. Where are they going to get the right people to fill the jobs and then how do they hold on to them.

Mike Ward: Thank you so much.

J. Patrick Gallagher: Thanks Mike.

Operator: Thank you. And our last question is coming from Mike Zaremski with BMO Capital Markets. Please proceed with your question.

Mike Zaremski: Hi, great. Just a quick follow-up, you guys always give color on umbrella, lots of people do. Just curious, is there any way you can dimension what percentage of your business is umbrella?

Doug Howell: I can dig it out. Did you have a second piece of that?

J. Patrick Gallagher: Do you have another question, Mike? We will dig on that for a second.

Mike Zaremski: No, I – that was actually my only question.

J. Patrick Gallagher: And we are looking here.

Doug Howell: So, let’s see, in ‘23, I would say, it makes up 6% of our business.

Mike Zaremski: Okay. Thanks so much. Have a good evening.

Doug Howell: Thanks Mike.

J. Patrick Gallagher: Well, I think that’s it for questions, if I can just make a comment here. Thank you again for joining us this afternoon. And I would like to thank our 53,000 colleagues around the world for their efforts. Their hard work and dedication is evident when we report another fantastic quarter of growth and profitability. As I look ahead, I remain very bullish on our prospects and believe we are well positioned to deliver another excellent year of financial performance. We look forward to speaking with the investment community at our IR Day. Thank you again for being with us this evening. Have a nice evening.

Operator: This does conclude today’s conference call. You may disconnect your lines at this time.

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