3,030 Shares in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Acquired by North Star Asset Management Inc.

North Star Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm acquired 3,030 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $505,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MRSH. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at $6,583,806,000. State Street Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,482,557,000. Capital World Investors purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $3,140,284,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $2,967,927,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 1.5%

NYSE:MRSH opened at $192.90 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.59. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $182.75. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $156.60 and a fifty-two week high of $207.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.The company had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. The business’s revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 23rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 48.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the business’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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $18,889,506.81. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total value of $1,348,929.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 16,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,159,913.68. The trade was a 29.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 36,469 shares of company stock worth $6,291,345. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on MRSH. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. UBS Group upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Citigroup downgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $203.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.