Arizona State Retirement System Sells 5,056 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Arizona State Retirement System reduced its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 3.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 138,852 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 5,056 shares during the quarter. Arizona State Retirement System’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $25,760,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MRSH. Numerai GP LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 966.2% in the 3rd quarter. Numerai GP LLC now owns 37,220 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,501,000 after buying an additional 33,729 shares in the last quarter. Rockland Trust Co. increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 801.6% in the 3rd quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 12,073 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,433,000 after buying an additional 10,734 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 41.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,202,372 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $443,844,000 after buying an additional 647,987 shares in the last quarter. Navera Investment Management Ltd. increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Navera Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,623,960 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $327,303,000 after buying an additional 105,954 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 76,196 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,356,000 after buying an additional 3,177 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MRSH stock opened at $173.97 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $164.89 and a 1-year high of $235.78. 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 company has a market cap of $83.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.75. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $174.25.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid 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 yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on MRSH. Barclays cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $205.33.

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.