12,630 Shares in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Acquired by Kimelman & Baird LLC

Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 12,630 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,105,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at $6,583,806,000. State Street Corp acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,482,557,000. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $3,140,284,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,967,927,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total value of $1,348,929.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 16,632 shares in the company, valued at $3,159,913.68. This trade represents a 29.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total value of $141,174.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 16,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,242,448. This trade represents a 4.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 36,469 shares of company stock worth $6,291,345. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRSH has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup cut shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $203.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 1.5%

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $192.90 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $182.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.05 billion, a PE ratio of 23.58, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $156.60 and a twelve month high of $207.82.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.The business had revenue of $7.28 billion for the quarter. The company’s revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd were issued a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 23rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.