Capital International Investors Increases Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Capital International Investors lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,590,697 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 221,033 shares during the quarter. Capital International Investors’ holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $3,745,889,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 31.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 214 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. 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 can be accessed through this link. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MRSH shares. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $199.00 price objective (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Friday, February 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. They set a “hold (c)” rating for the company. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $216.18.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE MRSH opened at $179.92 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market cap of $87.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.74. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $170.37 and a 1-year high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.15. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. The business had revenue of $6.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.52 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.87 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.70%.

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.