Capital International Investors Grows Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Capital International Investors boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,590,697 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 221,033 shares during the period. Capital International Investors owned approximately 3.79% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $3,745,889,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rockland Trust Co. lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 801.6% during the third quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 12,073 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,433,000 after purchasing an additional 10,734 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.8% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,158,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,092,108,000 after buying an additional 837,117 shares in the last quarter. Navera Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Navera Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,623,960 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $327,303,000 after buying an additional 105,954 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 41.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,202,372 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $443,844,000 after acquiring an additional 647,987 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 76,196 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $15,356,000 after acquiring an additional 3,177 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MRSH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $216.18.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:MRSH opened at $179.92 on Tuesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $170.37 and a fifty-two week high of $248.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The company has a market capitalization of $87.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.34, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.74.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.15. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. The company had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.52 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.87 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 42.70%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC) is a global professional services firm headquartered in New York City that provides advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy and people. Founded in 1905, the company has grown into a diversified group of businesses focused on insurance brokerage and risk management, reinsurance, human capital and investment consulting, and management consulting. Its long history and scale position it as a prominent adviser to corporations, governments and other institutions seeking to manage risk and optimize human and financial capital.

The firm operates through several well-known subsidiaries and business units that specialize in distinct services.