Midwest Trust Co Takes Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Midwest Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 3,827 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $664,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fifth Third Bancorp purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,796,000. Markel Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth $132,429,000. Sachetta LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter worth $73,000. Simplicity Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at $1,080,000. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.2% in the first quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 51,591 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,948,000 after purchasing an additional 2,073 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Mizuho upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $194.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on 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. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Citigroup raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $200.81.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on 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 approximately $18,889,506.81. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 1.7%

MRSH opened at $178.38 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $156.60 and a 52 week high of $216.32. The company has a market cap of $86.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.30, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.61.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.87% and a net margin of 14.26%.Marsh & McLennan Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.37 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.99 per share. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 23rd. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 45.00%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.