Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Stake Increased by Walter Public Investments Inc.

Walter Public Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 74.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 65,323 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 27,937 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises 2.7% of Walter Public Investments Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Walter Public Investments Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $11,153,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 95.0% during the third quarter. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. now owns 156 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. EFG International AG purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter worth $30,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Gen Wealth Partners Inc bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth $33,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MRSH shares. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $216.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $215.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $193.00 to $188.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $205.84.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Dean Klisura sold 4,194 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $838,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,187,000. This trade represents a 16.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,215 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $243,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 2,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $541,000. This trade represents a 30.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE MRSH opened at $207.34 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The company has a market cap of $98.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.53. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $156.60 and a one year high of $214.00. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $184.75.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.20% and a return on equity of 33.32%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be paid a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.37%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies, now known as Marsh, is a professional services firm focused on risk, strategy and people. Its businesses help organizations assess and manage risk, arrange insurance and reinsurance, and address workforce and organizational challenges. The company operates through Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory business; Guy Carpenter, which specializes in reinsurance and related risk services; Mercer, which provides health, wealth and career consulting; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm.