Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Shares Sold by California Public Employees Retirement System

California Public Employees Retirement System lessened its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,514,767 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 307,485 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $305,271,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MRSH. Rockland Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 801.6% in the third quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 12,073 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,433,000 after purchasing an additional 10,734 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in 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 worth $10,092,108,000 after buying an additional 837,117 shares during the last quarter. Navera Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Navera Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,623,960 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $327,303,000 after buying an additional 105,954 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 41.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,202,372 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $443,844,000 after acquiring an additional 647,987 shares during the period. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 76,196 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $15,356,000 after acquiring an additional 3,177 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MRSH shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $199.00 price target (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Raymond James Financial upgraded 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 report on Tuesday, February 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $216.12.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $172.18 on Friday. 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 1 year low of $170.37 and a 1 year high of $248.00. The company has a market capitalization of $83.36 billion, a PE ratio of 20.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.74.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $6.60 billion during 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.87 EPS. Analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid 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 payout ratio is presently 42.70%.

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.