JLB & Associates Inc. Makes New Investment in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

JLB & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 46,083 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $7,681,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MRSH. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,589,633 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,643,309,000 after purchasing an additional 387,100 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter worth $6,583,806,000. State Street Corp bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $3,482,557,000. Finally, Capital World Investors bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $3,140,284,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRSH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Citigroup lowered Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $201.94.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:MRSH opened at $186.49 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market cap of $88.99 billion, a PE ratio of 22.80, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $178.52. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $156.60 and a 52 week high of $213.80.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $7.28 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 23rd were given a dividend of $0.99 per share. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 23rd. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 48.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total value of $1,348,929.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 16,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,159,913.68. This trade represents a 29.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total transaction of $2,107,800.00. Following the sale, the director owned 12,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,107,975.65. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 36,469 shares of company stock valued at $6,291,345 over the last quarter. Company 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.