Sarasin & Partners LLP Sells 250,827 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Sarasin & Partners LLP lowered its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 60.8% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 161,885 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 250,827 shares during the quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $26,981,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.5% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Essex LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth about $2,891,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the 4th 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 during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 20.6% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 88,934 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,499,000 after buying an additional 15,166 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 26.6% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 35,293 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,549,000 after acquiring an additional 7,418 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total transaction of $2,107,800.00. Following the sale, the director owned 12,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,107,975.65. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 36,469 shares of company stock worth $6,291,345. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.8%

NYSE MRSH opened at $193.05 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $156.60 and a 1 year high of $213.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $174.82. The firm has a market cap of $92.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.59.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.24% and a return on equity of 32.67%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 23rd. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 48.41%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MRSH shares. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $201.94.

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.