Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. reduced its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 3.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,066,912 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 33,744 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $182,154,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MRSH. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,153,000. Daiichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $3,880,000. Korea Investment CORP bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $46,856,000. Bank of Nova Scotia acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth approximately $20,681,000. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.7% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,316,579 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $575,261,000 after purchasing an additional 148,884 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.0%

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $200.52 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $182.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $156.60 and a 1-year high of $202.70. The stock has a market cap of $95.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.53.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 33.32% and a net margin of 14.20%. The company had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter. The company’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.48 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.99 per share. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 47.37%.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on MRSH. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $179.00 to $178.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, October 19th. Finally, Evercore reduced their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $234.00 to $224.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $204.42.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies is a global professional services firm that provides advice and solutions in risk, strategy and people. The company serves businesses, governments and institutions through a portfolio of specialized businesses focused on insurance brokerage, reinsurance, consulting and talent management.

Its principal businesses include Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory firm; Guy Carpenter, a provider of reinsurance brokerage and related risk-management services; Mercer, which offers consulting in investment, retirement, health and workforce strategy; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm serving clients across industries and regions.

Founded in 1905, Marsh & McLennan serves clients in countries and markets around the world.