Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Stock Acquired by Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 9.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 153,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,907 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $26,156,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Novem Group raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Novem Group now owns 6,447 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,101,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. AA Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.2% during the third quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,851 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $999,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the period. Abel Hall LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter valued at about $262,000. James Hambro & Partners LLP increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 19.1% during the third quarter. James Hambro & Partners LLP now owns 4,517 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $771,000 after buying an additional 723 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clark Wealth Partners increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9,683.3% during the third quarter. Clark Wealth Partners now owns 2,348 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 2,324 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE MRSH opened at $188.81 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.11, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.59. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $156.60 and a 52 week high of $198.49. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $181.14.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.45 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 given 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 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on MRSH shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $191.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $183.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $193.00 to $188.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $204.26.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total transaction of $141,174.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 16,376 shares in the company, valued at $3,242,448. This represents a 4.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total transaction of $2,107,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 12,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,107,975.65. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 19,813 shares of company stock worth $3,597,903 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

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.