Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Has $3.94 Million Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 298.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,563 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 14,657 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $3,943,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 31.3% during the third quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 214 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRSH has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. They issued a “hold (c)” rating for the company. Raymond James Financial raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Evercore dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $216.18.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.8%

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $183.43 on Monday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $170.37 and a one year high of $248.00. The company has a market capitalization of $88.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.15. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. The firm had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.87 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 42.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.35% 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.