3,697 Shares in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Purchased by Persium Advisors LLC

Persium Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 3,697 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $686,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 31.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 214 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 4,514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $910,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,279 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $423,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC now owns 14,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,022,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 3,663 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $736,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MRSH shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $199.00 price objective (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $209.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. One equities research 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 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 $211.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MRSH opened at $174.98 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $164.89 and a twelve month high of $239.34. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $175.26. The company has a market capitalization of $84.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.75.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (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 the consensus estimate of $6.52 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.87 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.