ProShare Advisors LLC Grows Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 113,464 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,480 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $21,050,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MRSH. Procyon Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,279 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $423,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $326,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.4% during the third quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC now owns 14,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,022,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,673 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $306,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 1,226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $247,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MRSH shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Raymond James Financial raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $205.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $163.66 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $168.84. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $158.16 and a 52 week high of $235.78.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th were issued a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 45.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

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.