23,521 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Bought by VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 23,521 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,016,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. EFG International AG bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Dean Klisura sold 4,194 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $838,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing 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. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,215 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $243,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $541,000. This 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MRSH. Citigroup upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $183.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $179.00 to $178.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $204.42.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:MRSH opened at $200.52 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The company has a market cap of $95.35 billion, a PE ratio of 23.99, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.53. The company’s fifty day moving average is $182.37. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $156.60 and a 1-year high of $202.70.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.20% and a return on equity of 33.32%. The company had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.37%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies is a global professional services firm that provides advice and solutions in risk, strategy and people. The company serves businesses, governments and institutions through a portfolio of specialized businesses focused on insurance brokerage, reinsurance, consulting and talent management.

Its principal businesses include Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory firm; Guy Carpenter, a provider of reinsurance brokerage and related risk-management services; Mercer, which offers consulting in investment, retirement, health and workforce strategy; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm serving clients across industries and regions.

Founded in 1905, Marsh & McLennan serves clients in countries and markets around the world.