Pallas Capital Advisors LLC Invests $1.27 Million in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Pallas Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 7,603 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,267,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,153,000. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 134,542 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $24,960,000 after buying an additional 11,648 shares during the period. Essex LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter worth about $2,891,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,589,633 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,643,309,000 after acquiring an additional 387,100 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 26.6% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 35,293 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,549,000 after acquiring an additional 7,418 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total value of $2,693,441.76. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $18,889,506.81. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total transaction of $1,348,929.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 16,632 shares in the company, valued at $3,159,913.68. This represents a 29.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 36,469 shares of company stock valued at $6,291,345. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup lowered Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $201.94.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MRSH stock opened at $186.49 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $178.52. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $156.60 and a one year high of $213.80. The firm has a market cap of $88.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 23rd were given a dividend of $0.99 per share. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 23rd. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 48.41%.

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.