Deutsche Bank AG Makes New $685.62 Million Investment in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 4,113,644 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $685,621,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Solstein Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE:MRSH opened at $184.41 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $178.11. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $156.60 and a 1-year high of $213.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market cap of $88.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.59.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MRSH. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price 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. Weiss Ratings upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $201.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,889,506.81. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal 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, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total transaction of $2,107,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 12,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,107,975.65. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 36,469 shares of company stock valued at $6,291,345. 0.38% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.