Korea Investment CORP Trims Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Korea Investment CORP reduced its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 327,006 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 8,516 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP owned approximately 0.07% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $65,902,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MRSH. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,158,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,092,108,000 after acquiring an additional 837,117 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,684,210 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,762,513,000 after purchasing an additional 196,475 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,328,587,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 10.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,872,982 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $982,071,000 after purchasing an additional 441,029 shares during the period. Finally, Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% during the second quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 3,443,454 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $752,877,000 after purchasing an additional 32,118 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRSH has been the subject of a number of research reports. Mizuho reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $199.00 price objective (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. They set a “hold (c)” rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $216.18.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRSH opened at $183.43 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.76, a PEG ratio of 2.49 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. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $170.37 and a 52-week 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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $6.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.60% and a net margin of 15.42%.The firm’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.87 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be given 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 dividend payout ratio is 42.70%.

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.