3,697 Shares in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Purchased by Persium Advisors LLC

Persium Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 3,697 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $686,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRSH. Numerai GP LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 966.2% during the third quarter. Numerai GP LLC now owns 37,220 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,501,000 after purchasing an additional 33,729 shares during the last quarter. Rockland Trust Co. lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 801.6% in the third quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 12,073 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,433,000 after purchasing an additional 10,734 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 41.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,202,372 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $443,844,000 after acquiring an additional 647,987 shares in the last quarter. Navera Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.0% during the third quarter. Navera Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,623,960 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $327,303,000 after acquiring an additional 105,954 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.4% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MRSH shares. Mizuho reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $199.00 price target (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $209.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $211.75.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.1%

MRSH opened at $174.98 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $175.26. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $164.89 and a 52-week high of $239.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market cap of $84.71 billion, a PE ratio of 20.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.75.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be given a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 42.70%.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total value of $3,052,861.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.