Madison Asset Management LLC Invests $57.16 Million in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Madison Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 342,975 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $57,164,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Solstein Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRSH has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $203.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total transaction of $141,174.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 16,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,242,448. The trade was a 4.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total value of $2,107,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 12,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,107,975.65. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 36,469 shares of company stock worth $6,291,345 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 1.7%

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $189.55 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $178.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $90.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.17, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.59. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $156.60 and a twelve month high of $213.80.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.24% and a return on equity of 32.67%. The firm had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd were paid a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 23rd. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 48.41%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.