Geneos Wealth Management Inc. Purchases Shares of 30,247 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Geneos Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 30,247 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $5,246,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $104,000. MASTERINVEST Kapitalanlage GmbH purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $450,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth $15,059,000. Sigma Planning Corp acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at $343,000. Finally, Cornerstone Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at $311,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRSH has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $200.81.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total transaction of $2,693,441.76. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $18,889,506.81. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MRSH stock opened at $182.22 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $156.60 and a 52-week high of $216.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market cap of $88.03 billion, a PE ratio of 22.78, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.61.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. The company 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%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.36 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be given a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 23rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.00%.

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.