First Trust Advisors LP Boosts Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 4.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,332,401 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 62,349 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $231,105,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MRSH. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 134,542 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $24,960,000 after purchasing an additional 11,648 shares in the last quarter. Essex LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $2,891,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 20.6% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 88,934 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $16,499,000 after buying an additional 15,166 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,589,633 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,643,309,000 after buying an additional 387,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 26.6% in the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 35,293 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,549,000 after buying an additional 7,418 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total value of $2,693,441.76. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $18,889,506.81. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MRSH. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Weiss Ratings cut Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Citigroup downgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday. Mizuho raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $201.69.

Marsh & McLennan Companies News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Marsh & McLennan Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Marsh & McLennan beat second-quarter earnings expectations, reporting $2.96 EPS versus consensus around $2.89, with revenue of $7.28 billion. The beat was driven by strength in Consulting and Risk & Insurance Services, which supports the view that core demand remains healthy. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on MRSH from $186 to $188, and Mizuho increased its target from $197 to $201. Those higher targets suggest analysts still see upside from current levels, even though both firms kept relatively cautious ratings. Article Title Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analysts remained cautious despite the earnings beat: Citigroup downgraded the stock from buy to neutral, and William Blair maintained a Hold view. That signals the results were solid, but not enough to fully reset valuation concerns. Article Title Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s earnings call highlighted both growth and challenges, implying that while operating trends are improving, investors are still weighing execution and margin outlook. Article Title

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MRSH opened at $176.27 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company has a market capitalization of $85.16 billion, a PE ratio of 21.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.61. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $156.60 and a 52 week high of $213.80.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.The company had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. The firm’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.36 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be given a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 23rd. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 44.01%.

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.