Legal & General Group Plc Invests $465.59 Million in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 2,793,483 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $465,590,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MRSH. Solstein Capital LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Asset Dedication LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total transaction of $2,693,441.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total value of $141,174.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 16,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,242,448. This trade represents a 4.17% decrease in their position. 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. Insiders sold 36,469 shares of company stock worth $6,291,345 over the last quarter. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on MRSH shares. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Mizuho lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective 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. Finally, Citigroup downgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $203.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.6%

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $193.59 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $180.99. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $156.60 and a twelve month high of $207.82. The company has a market cap of $92.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.59.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.24% and a return on equity of 32.67%. The company had revenue of $7.28 billion for the quarter. The firm’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd were paid a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 23rd. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.