Legal & General Group Plc Has $644.23 Million Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,196,714 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 41,613 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.65% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $644,234,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRSH. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 20.0% during the third quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. now owns 4,264 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $858,000 after purchasing an additional 710 shares in the last quarter. PFG Advisors boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 15,235 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,070,000 after buying an additional 858 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter valued at $2,161,000. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 10,199 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,055,000 after purchasing an additional 307 shares during the last quarter. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG now owns 188,761 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $38,041,000 after purchasing an additional 5,543 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the company’s 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRSH opened at $173.93 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $84.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $170.37 and a 12 month high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $6.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.87 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MRSH shares. Citigroup lifted their target price 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. Barclays raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Evercore lowered 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 research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $199.00 price objective (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Friday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $216.18.

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.