Wellington Management Group LLP Grows Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 9.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 15,091,478 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,260,434 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $3,041,386,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.8% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,158,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,092,108,000 after purchasing an additional 837,117 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 18,590,697 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,745,889,000 after buying an additional 221,033 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.5% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,702,898 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,567,410,000 after buying an additional 92,767 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 9,861,067 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,987,301,000 after acquiring an additional 68,826 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter worth $1,328,587,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRSH opened at $172.18 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $170.37 and a fifty-two week high of $248.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MRSH. Barclays dropped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $209.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial raised 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. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Evercore decreased their target price 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $216.12.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the business’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 $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

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.