Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Grows Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 26.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 136,179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 28,419 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $27,444,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at $1,328,587,000. Soundwatch Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter worth $560,820,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 212.6% in the 2nd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,285,194 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $499,635,000 after acquiring an additional 1,554,114 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 89.2% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,892,576 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $615,309,000 after acquiring an additional 1,363,706 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 654.7% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,419,104 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $285,992,000 after purchasing an additional 1,231,059 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.8%

NYSE:MRSH opened at $172.18 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $170.37 and a twelve month high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.52 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.87 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.70%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total value of $3,052,861.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $21,411,456.30. 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. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRSH has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays decreased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $209.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $216.12.

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.