Avity Investment Management Inc. Raises Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Avity Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 2.2% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 210,658 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,467 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up approximately 2.2% of Avity Investment Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Avity Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $35,110,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,856,000 after purchasing an additional 2,960 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 39.6% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 3,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $651,000 after buying an additional 869 shares during the last quarter. Glenview Trust co increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 10.8% during the second quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 3,897 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $852,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares in the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 18,440.0% during the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $203,000 after purchasing an additional 922 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter worth $1,307,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total value of $141,174.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 16,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,242,448. This trade represents a 4.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total transaction of $1,348,929.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 16,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,159,913.68. This trade represents a 29.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 36,469 shares of company stock worth $6,291,345. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MRSH. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 6th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $201.94.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 1.0%

MRSH opened at $191.31 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.59. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $156.60 and a 52 week high of $213.80. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $175.15.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $7.28 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.Marsh & McLennan Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be issued a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 23rd. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 48.41%.

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.