WBI Investments LLC Acquires Shares of 4,882 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

WBI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 4,882 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $984,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rockland Trust Co. boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 801.6% in the third quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 12,073 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,433,000 after purchasing an additional 10,734 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,158,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,092,108,000 after purchasing an additional 837,117 shares during the last quarter. Navera Investment Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Navera Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,623,960 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $327,303,000 after purchasing an additional 105,954 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 41.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,202,372 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $443,844,000 after buying an additional 647,987 shares during the period. Finally, Numerai GP LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 966.2% during the third quarter. Numerai GP LLC now owns 37,220 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,501,000 after buying an additional 33,729 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on MRSH. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Evercore dropped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. One 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $216.12.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.0%

MRSH opened at $171.96 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $179.06. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $170.37 and a twelve month high of $248.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.74.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced 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 net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. The company had revenue of $6.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.87 EPS. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.70%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.