Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Shares Bought by Capital Research Global Investors

Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 0.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,861,067 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 68,826 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors owned about 2.01% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $1,987,301,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management increased its stake in 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 valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 4,514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $910,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.7% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. now owns 949 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $207,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 3,663 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $736,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Procyon Advisors LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.0% during the third quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $448,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on MRSH. Evercore cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Citigroup raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $199.00 price target (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Friday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $216.18.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE MRSH opened at $179.92 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $87.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.74. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $170.37 and a 12 month high of $248.00.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 42.70%.

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.