Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Stake Boosted by B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 188,761 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,543 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $38,041,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,158,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,092,108,000 after purchasing an additional 837,117 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.6% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,684,210 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,762,513,000 after buying an additional 196,475 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter worth about $1,328,587,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 10.0% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,872,982 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $982,071,000 after acquiring an additional 441,029 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Artisan Partners Limited Partnership raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% during the second quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 3,443,454 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $752,877,000 after acquiring an additional 32,118 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MRSH. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. They issued a “hold (c)” rating for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $216.18.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MRSH opened at $183.43 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $88.80 billion, a PE ratio of 21.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $170.37 and a 1-year high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $6.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.87 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.70%.

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.