Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Stock: Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Increases Holdings

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 15.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 29,876 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,894 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $5,101,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $6,583,806,000. Corient Private Wealth LP acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $66,475,000. Ninety One UK Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 41.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 5,632,700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $961,671,000 after buying an additional 1,661,178 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $685,621,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter worth $575,845,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE MRSH opened at $205.69 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $156.60 and a 12 month high of $214.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $185.11. The firm has a market cap of $97.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.60, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.53.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.20% and a return on equity of 33.32%. The business had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 47.37%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,215 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $243,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $541,000. The trade was a 30.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Dean Klisura sold 4,194 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $838,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $4,187,000. The trade was a 16.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on MRSH. Citigroup lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $216.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $183.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $193.00 to $188.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $205.84.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies, now known as Marsh, is a professional services firm focused on risk, strategy and people. Its businesses help organizations assess and manage risk, arrange insurance and reinsurance, and address workforce and organizational challenges. The company operates through Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory business; Guy Carpenter, which specializes in reinsurance and related risk services; Mercer, which provides health, wealth and career consulting; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm.