Legal & General Group Plc Purchases 41,613 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 1.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,196,714 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 41,613 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $644,234,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,856,000 after acquiring an additional 2,960 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 39.6% in the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 3,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $651,000 after buying an additional 869 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 60.8% in the 2nd quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 1,661 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $363,000 after buying an additional 628 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 12.7% during the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,959 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $866,000 after acquiring an additional 446 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prospera Financial Services Inc raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 181.6% during the second quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 8,166 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,786,000 after purchasing an additional 5,266 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on MRSH. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Friday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six 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 presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $216.18.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:MRSH opened at $173.93 on Wednesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $170.37 and a 12-month high of $248.00. The firm has a market cap of $84.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.15. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.60% and a net margin of 15.42%.The firm had revenue of $6.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.87 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.70%.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total value of $3,052,861.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.35% 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.