The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Purchases Shares of 1,867,077 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,867,077 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $311,186,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MRSH. EP Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,823,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. MMA Asset Management LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. MMA Asset Management LLC now owns 4,083 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $757,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Continuum Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.3% during the first quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 1,452 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $252,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 12.6% in the first quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 668 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC now owns 8,883 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,648,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the director owned 12,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,107,975.65. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $2,693,441.76. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $18,889,506.81. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 36,469 shares of company stock worth $6,291,345 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. One equities 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 MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $203.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 1.4%

MRSH stock opened at $194.61 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $180.45. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $156.60 and a 52-week high of $211.28. The stock has a market cap of $92.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.79, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.07. The company 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 quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 23rd. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.41%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.