Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Buys 14,657 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 298.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,563 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,657 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $3,943,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 131.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 412 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 126.1% during the 3rd quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management now owns 7,936 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,599,000 after acquiring an additional 4,426 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 97,766 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $19,703,000 after acquiring an additional 3,081 shares during the last quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 25,652.9% in the third quarter. Longfellow Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 4,378 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $882,000 after purchasing an additional 4,361 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 41.7% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,202,372 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $443,844,000 after purchasing an additional 647,987 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRSH has been the topic of a number of research reports. Evercore reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. They issued a “hold (c)” rating for the company. Citigroup raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $216.18.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE MRSH opened at $183.43 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.80 billion, a PE ratio of 21.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.74. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $170.37 and a 12 month high of $248.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.15. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. The company had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.87 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.70%.

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.