UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp Purchases Shares of 17,291 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 17,291 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,882,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MRSH. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,589,633 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,643,309,000 after purchasing an additional 387,100 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth $6,583,806,000. State Street Corp bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $3,482,557,000. Finally, Capital World Investors bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,140,284,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MRSH opened at $184.41 on Tuesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $156.60 and a 52 week high of $213.80. The firm has a market cap of $88.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.59. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $178.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $7.28 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd were issued a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 23rd. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 48.41%.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total transaction of $2,693,441.76. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,889,506.81. This trade 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. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total transaction 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 $3,242,448. This 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 a total of 36,469 shares of company stock worth $6,291,345 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MRSH. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Citigroup downgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $201.94.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.