Sarasin & Partners LLP Increases Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Sarasin & Partners LLP increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 934,732 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 8,283 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises approximately 1.8% of Sarasin & Partners LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Sarasin & Partners LLP owned approximately 0.19% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $173,411,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 31.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 214 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% in the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 4,514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $910,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,279 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $423,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.7% during the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. now owns 949 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $207,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lindenwold Advisors INC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.4% during the third quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC now owns 14,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,022,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MRSH. Evercore lowered their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Raymond James Financial upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Mizuho reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $199.00 price objective (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Friday, February 27th. 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $216.12.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of MRSH stock opened at $176.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market cap of $85.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.88, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $178.29. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $164.89 and a 52 week high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.15. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. The firm had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.87 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.70%.

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.