Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. Makes New Investment in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 165,885 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $28,810,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased 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 valued at $8,643,309,000 after buying an additional 387,100 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $3,482,557,000. Capital World Investors bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $3,140,284,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $2,967,927,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE:MRSH opened at $178.81 on Friday. 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 stock has a market cap of $86.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.61. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $156.60 and a 52-week high of $216.32.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.87% and a net margin of 14.26%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be issued 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 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 23rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 45.00%.

Trending Headlines about Marsh & McLennan Companies

Here are the key news stories impacting Marsh & McLennan Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS reiterated its Buy rating and raised its price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies (MRSH) to $212, signaling confidence in further upside. UBS Sticks to Their Buy Rating for Marsh & McLennan Companies (MRSH)
• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald also lifted its price target on MRSH to $218 and kept an Overweight rating, reinforcing the view that the shares still have meaningful upside. Benzinga report on Cantor Fitzgerald price target increase
• Positive Sentiment: Marsh & McLennan raised its quarterly dividend by 10% to $0.99 per share, a sign of strong cash generation and continued commitment to returning capital to shareholders. Marsh Raises Dividend: Is Its Capital Return Story Getting Stronger?
• Neutral Sentiment: Mizuho modestly increased its price target to $197 while keeping a Neutral rating, adding to the overall analyst attention but offering a more balanced view. Benzinga report on Mizuho price target increase
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also formally declared the new quarterly dividend, payable in August, confirming the higher payout and supporting the stock’s income appeal. Dividend declaration details

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on MRSH. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Citigroup raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $200.44.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total value of $2,693,441.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,889,506.81. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.