Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Increases Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 9,455.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,520,164 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,504,255 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.31% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $282,021,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,856,000 after acquiring an additional 2,960 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 39.6% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 3,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $651,000 after acquiring an additional 869 shares during the period. Magnetar Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at $263,000. MAI Capital Management raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 11.4% during the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 8,217 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,797,000 after purchasing an additional 838 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,901,598 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $634,405,000 after purchasing an additional 43,462 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price 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. Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $199.00 price objective (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Friday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. They issued a “hold (c)” rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One investment 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $216.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the firm’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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.0%

MRSH stock opened at $173.86 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $177.91. The company has a market capitalization of $84.17 billion, a PE ratio of 20.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 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 1-year low of $164.89 and a 1-year high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its 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. The business had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.87 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be given a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 42.70%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.