Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Takes $23.15 Million Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 138,904 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $23,151,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 387,100 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at about $6,583,806,000. State Street Corp bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $3,482,557,000. Finally, Capital World Investors bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,140,284,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total transaction of $1,348,929.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 16,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,159,913.68. The trade was a 29.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total value of $2,107,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 12,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,107,975.65. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 36,469 shares of company stock valued at $6,291,345 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MRSH opened at $192.17 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.59. 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 business’s fifty day simple moving average is $179.88. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $156.60 and a fifty-two week high of $212.65.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd were paid a dividend of $0.99 per share. This is a positive change 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 is 48.41%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRSH has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective 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. Citigroup lowered shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $203.50.

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.