Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Shares Acquired by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 34.3% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 72,745 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,593 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $12,465,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ethic Inc. lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.0% in the third quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 66,944 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,429,000 after acquiring an additional 1,981 shares during the last quarter. StoneX Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth about $311,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth about $2,043,000. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.9% during the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 5,972 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,020,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Waycross Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Waycross Partners LLC now owns 187,395 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,994,000 after purchasing an additional 12,758 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of MRSH stock opened at $204.59 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $97.29 billion, a PE ratio of 20.23, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.53. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $156.60 and a 52-week high of $214.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $184.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 33.32% and a net margin of 14.20%. The company had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.99 per share. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 47.37%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $216.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $193.00 to $188.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, October 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $205.84.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO Dean Klisura sold 4,194 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $838,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $4,187,000. This trade represents a 16.69% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,215 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $243,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,705 shares in the company, valued at $541,000. This represents a 30.99% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 0.38% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies, now known as Marsh, is a professional services firm focused on risk, strategy and people. Its businesses help organizations assess and manage risk, arrange insurance and reinsurance, and address workforce and organizational challenges.

The company operates through Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory business; Guy Carpenter, which specializes in reinsurance and related risk services; Mercer, which provides health, wealth and career consulting; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm.