Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Shares Acquired by Bank of Nova Scotia

Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 188.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 486,511 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 317,877 shares during the quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $98,047,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,856,000 after buying an additional 2,960 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 39.6% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 3,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $651,000 after acquiring an additional 869 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 21.7% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,653 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,017,000 after acquiring an additional 831 shares during the period. Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 65.6% during the second quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 795 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $174,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the period. Finally, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.4% in the second quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 21,698 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,743,000 after purchasing an additional 9,997 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $21,411,456.30. 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. 0.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on MRSH. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Evercore decreased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $216.12.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MRSH stock opened at $172.18 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $170.37 and a 52-week high of $248.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market cap of $83.36 billion, a PE ratio of 20.42, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.74.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.60% and a net margin of 15.42%.Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.87 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.70%.

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.