CX Institutional Sells 3,100 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

CX Institutional cut its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 5.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 56,534 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,100 shares during the period. CX Institutional’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $9,423,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,589,633 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,643,309,000 after acquiring an additional 387,100 shares during the period. State Street Corp purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $3,482,557,000. Capital World Investors bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,140,284,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $2,967,927,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,889,506.81. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total value of $2,107,800.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 12,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,107,975.65. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 36,469 shares of company stock worth $6,291,345 in the last 90 days. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on MRSH shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Barclays decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $201.94.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE MRSH opened at $193.19 on Tuesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $156.60 and a fifty-two week high of $213.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.62, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.61. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $173.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.24% and a return on equity of 32.67%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 EPS 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. Investors of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 23rd. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 48.41%.

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.