Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Grows Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 14.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 127,104 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 16,500 shares during the period. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $23,580,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MRSH. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,856,000 after buying an additional 2,960 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 39.6% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 3,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $651,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares during the period. Glenview Trust co boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 10.8% in the second quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 3,897 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $852,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares during the period. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 18,440.0% in the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $203,000 after purchasing an additional 922 shares during the period. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter worth approximately $1,307,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $21,411,456.30. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRSH opened at $166.38 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $173.42. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $164.89 and a fifty-two week high of $235.78. The company has a market capitalization of $80.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.65.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 31.87%. The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MRSH shares. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Evercore dropped their price target on shares of 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. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $205.33.

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.