LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. Invests $544,000 in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,136 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $544,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Solstein Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. SHP Wealth Management bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total value of $2,693,441.76. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,889,506.81. 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 the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $200.44.

Key Marsh & McLennan Companies News

Here are the key news stories impacting Marsh & McLennan Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target on Marsh & McLennan to $218 and reiterated an overweight rating, signaling strong upside expectations. Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Given New $218.00 Price Target at Cantor Fitzgerald
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho also lifted its price target to $197, keeping a neutral rating, which still reflects a more favorable valuation view. Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Price Target Raised to $197.00 at Mizuho
• Positive Sentiment: UBS maintained its buy rating on Marsh & McLennan, reinforcing a broadly positive analyst stance on the shares. UBS Sticks to Their Buy Rating for Marsh & McLennan Companies (MRSH)
• Positive Sentiment: Marsh & McLennan increased its quarterly dividend by 10% to $0.99 per share, highlighting strong cash generation and shareholder-friendly capital allocation. Marsh Raises Dividend: Is Its Capital Return Story Getting Stronger?
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also declared the dividend formally for shareholders of record on July 23, which confirms the payout timing but is not a new catalyst. Marsh & McLennan Companies dividend announcement

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MRSH stock opened at $178.52 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $156.60 and a one year high of $216.32. The stock has a market cap of $86.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.32, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.61.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 31.87%. The company’s revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 23rd. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 45.00%.

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.