Distillate Capital Partners LLC Buys New Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Distillate Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 103,284 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $20,816,000. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up about 1.1% of Distillate Capital Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rockland Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 801.6% during the 3rd 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 period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.8% in 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 period. Navera Investment Management Ltd. grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.0% during the third quarter. Navera Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,623,960 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $327,303,000 after buying an additional 105,954 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its holdings 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 valued at $443,844,000 after buying an additional 647,987 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.4% in the third quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 76,196 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,356,000 after acquiring an additional 3,177 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the 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 owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. They issued a “hold (c)” rating for the company. Raymond James Financial raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $199.00 price target (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $216.12.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of MRSH opened at $172.18 on Monday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $170.37 and a one year 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 company has a market cap of $83.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.42, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.74.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.15. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.60% and a net margin of 15.42%.The company had revenue of $6.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.87 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.70%.

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.