Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Grows Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 18.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 25,604 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,906 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $5,159,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $209.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Weiss Ratings assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. They issued a “hold (c)” rating for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup increased 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $216.12.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $173.70 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $179.40. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $170.37 and a 52-week high of $248.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.09 billion, a PE ratio of 20.60, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.74.

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 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 company had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.87 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s 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.