Rakuten Investment Management Inc. Invests $13.14 Million in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 78,803 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $13,137,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $6,583,806,000. State Street Corp acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $3,482,557,000. Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $3,140,284,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $2,967,927,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on MRSH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Mizuho upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total transaction of $141,174.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 16,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,242,448. This represents a 4.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 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 on 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 16,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,159,913.68. The trade was a 29.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 36,469 shares of company stock worth $6,291,345 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of NYSE MRSH opened at $192.90 on Friday. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $182.75. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $156.60 and a 52 week high of $207.82. The firm has a market cap of $92.05 billion, a PE ratio of 23.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.59.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 23rd were given a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 23rd. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 48.41%.

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.