West Family Investments Inc. Makes New $839,000 Investment in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

West Family Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 5,036 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $839,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EP Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,823,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. MMA Asset Management LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. MMA Asset Management LLC now owns 4,083 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $757,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 1,452 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $252,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 12.6% in the 1st quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 668 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC now owns 8,883 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total value of $2,693,441.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,889,506.81. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total transaction of $141,174.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 16,376 shares in the company, valued at $3,242,448. This represents a 4.17% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 36,469 shares of company stock valued at $6,291,345 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MRSH. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $203.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $189.55 on Thursday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $156.60 and a 12 month high of $213.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.45 billion, a PE ratio of 23.17, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $178.97.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.07. The firm 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%.Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

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

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.