Legal & General Group Plc Acquires 41,613 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,196,714 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 41,613 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.65% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $644,234,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 31.3% during the third quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 214 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total value of $3,052,861.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $21,411,456.30. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. They issued a “hold (c)” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Evercore reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $199.00 price target (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Friday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $216.18.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MRSH opened at $173.93 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $84.20 billion, a PE ratio of 20.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.74. 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 52-week low of $170.37 and a 52-week high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.52 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.87 EPS. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 payout ratio 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.