Westpac Banking Corp Takes Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Westpac Banking Corp acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 5,940 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $990,000.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Solstein Capital LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. SHP Wealth Management bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total transaction of $1,348,929.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 16,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,159,913.68. This represents a 29.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total value of $2,107,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 12,001 shares in the company, valued at $2,107,975.65. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 36,469 shares of company stock worth $6,291,345 over the last three months. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on MRSH shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Citigroup cut Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $203.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE MRSH opened at $192.17 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $156.60 and a one year high of $212.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.59. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $179.88.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.The company’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd were issued a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 23rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.41%.

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.