Waycross Partners LLC Buys New Shares in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Waycross Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 172,323 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $29,889,000. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises 2.9% of Waycross Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest holding.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 387,100 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,482,557,000. Capital World Investors bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,140,284,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,967,927,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on MRSH shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. 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. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $200.81.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $182.20 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $156.60 and a 1 year high of $213.80. The firm has a market cap of $88.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 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, beating the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 31.87%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.36 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $2,693,441.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $18,889,506.81. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.