Kentucky Retirement Systems Increases Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Kentucky Retirement Systems lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 46.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 45,308 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,321 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $7,859,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,589,633 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,643,309,000 after buying an additional 387,100 shares during the period. State Street Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $3,482,557,000. Capital World Investors purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $3,140,284,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,967,927,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRSH opened at $197.56 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $94.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $172.40. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $156.60 and a 12 month high of $213.80.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.99 per share. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 23rd. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total transaction of $2,107,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 12,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,107,975.65. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total value of $1,348,929.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 16,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,159,913.68. The trade was a 29.92% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 35,756 shares of company stock worth $6,150,171 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on MRSH shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Citigroup cut Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $201.94.

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.