Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 172,311 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 22.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 604,866 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 172,311 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $112,215,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MRSH. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 23,730 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,402,000 after purchasing an additional 929 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 20.1% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,901 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,095,000 after acquiring an additional 986 shares during the period. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 14.9% in the fourth quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 127,104 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $23,580,000 after purchasing an additional 16,500 shares during the period. Sun Financial Inc bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $404,000. Finally, Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 13.0% during the 4th quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 1,330 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,411,456.30. This 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 at this hyperlink. 0.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRSH has been the topic of several analyst reports. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $193.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $205.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $164.12 on Thursday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $163.81 and a 12 month high of $235.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market cap of $79.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.51, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.65. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $172.92.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.08. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.87% and a net margin of 14.26%.The company had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid 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 2.2%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 45.00%.

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.