Dakota Wealth Management Acquires 14,575 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Dakota Wealth Management raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 524.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,354 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,575 shares during the quarter. Dakota Wealth Management’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $3,219,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,328,587,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 212.6% during the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,285,194 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $499,635,000 after buying an additional 1,554,114 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9,455.4% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,520,164 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $282,021,000 after acquiring an additional 1,504,255 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 89.2% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,091,478 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,041,386,000 after purchasing an additional 1,260,434 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MRSH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of 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 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, January 29th. They set a “hold (c)” rating on the stock. 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 research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $212.06.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MRSH opened at $169.25 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $176.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The company has a market capitalization of $81.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.74. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.87 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be given a dividend of $0.90 per share. 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 dividend payout ratio is 42.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the business’s 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. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.