Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Buys New Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 24,245 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,886,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRSH. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management lifted 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. grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 4,514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $910,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.7% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. now owns 949 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $207,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 valued at $736,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $448,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings started coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. They set a “hold (c)” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $216.12.

Insider Activity

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,411,456.30. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE:MRSH opened at $173.70 on Tuesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $170.37 and a 1-year high of $248.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.74. 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 company’s fifty day simple moving average is $179.40.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.