West Family Investments Inc. Invests $839,000 in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

West Family Investments Inc. bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 5,036 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $839,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,823,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. MMA Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. MMA Asset Management LLC now owns 4,083 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $757,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Continuum Advisory LLC grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 1,452 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $252,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 12.6% during the 1st quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 668 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC now owns 8,883 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total transaction of $2,107,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 12,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,107,975.65. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total transaction of $141,174.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 16,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,242,448. The trade was a 4.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 36,469 shares of company stock worth $6,291,345. Insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on MRSH shares. Weiss Ratings raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Citigroup lowered shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Mizuho increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $203.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $189.55 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $178.97. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $156.60 and a fifty-two week high of $213.80. The company has a market capitalization of $90.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 23rd were given a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 23rd. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 48.41%.

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.