Waverly Advisors LLC Grows Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Waverly Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 21.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,035 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,652 shares during the period. Waverly Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $2,608,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. PFG Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $326,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,823,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. MMA Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. MMA Asset Management LLC now owns 4,083 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $757,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 1,449 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $269,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 1,452 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $252,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on MRSH. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $201.94.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MRSH stock opened at $191.50 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $156.60 and a one year high of $213.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $172.84.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.24% and a return on equity of 32.67%. The firm had revenue of $7.28 billion for the quarter. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 23rd. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 48.41%.

Insider Activity

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $18,889,506.81. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the firm’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 approximately $3,159,913.68. This represents a 29.92% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 35,756 shares of company stock worth $6,150,171. Insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

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.