Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. Boosts Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 2.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 294,316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,449 shares during the quarter. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. owned about 0.06% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $59,314,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rockland Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 801.6% during the 3rd quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 12,073 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,433,000 after buying an additional 10,734 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,158,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,092,108,000 after buying an additional 837,117 shares during the period. Navera Investment Management Ltd. grew its position in 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 during the period. Barclays PLC increased its stake in 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 worth $443,844,000 after acquiring an additional 647,987 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 76,196 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,356,000 after purchasing an additional 3,177 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE MRSH opened at $172.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. 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 market capitalization of $83.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.74.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.87 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 42.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the firm’s 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 in the company, valued at $21,411,456.30. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRSH has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, January 29th. They set a “hold (c)” rating for the company. Evercore reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $209.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $199.00 target price (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. One investment 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 given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $216.12.

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.