Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Takes $3.31 Million Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 19,058 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,306,000.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRSH has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on 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 lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $194.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $200.81.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of MRSH stock opened at $181.67 on Tuesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $156.60 and a 1 year high of $216.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market cap of $87.76 billion, a PE ratio of 22.71, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.61.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.87% and a net margin of 14.26%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total transaction of $2,693,441.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,889,506.81. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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. Insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.