16,925,131 Shares in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Purchased by Capital World Investors

Capital World Investors acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 16,925,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,140,284,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MRSH. Capital International Investors purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $3,482,557,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $1,555,869,000. Capital Research Global Investors purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $1,481,896,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $744,740,000. Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $724,583,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total transaction of $2,693,441.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $18,889,506.81. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 2.5%

MRSH stock opened at $165.37 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $156.60 and a 1 year high of $231.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.89 billion, a PE ratio of 20.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.62.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.87% and a net margin of 14.26%.The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. The business’s revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on MRSH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Raymond James Financial upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $193.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $203.56.

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.