Geneos Wealth Management Inc. Buys 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, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 30,247 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $5,246,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 134,542 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $24,960,000 after acquiring an additional 11,648 shares in the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 934,732 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $173,411,000 after purchasing an additional 8,283 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 20.6% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 88,934 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,499,000 after purchasing an additional 15,166 shares during the period. Essex LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $2,891,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,589,633 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,643,309,000 after buying an additional 387,100 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRSH has been the topic of several analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $194.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $200.81.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 3.4%

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $182.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. 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 capitalization of $88.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.61.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 31.87%. The business’s revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.36 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

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.