Chesley Taft & Associates LLC Purchases 4,011 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Chesley Taft & Associates LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 66.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,052 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,011 shares during the quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,865,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9,455.4% in the fourth 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 in 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 worth $615,309,000 after purchasing an additional 1,363,706 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted 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 valued at $3,041,386,000 after purchasing an additional 1,260,434 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 654.7% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 29.7% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,293,188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $663,676,000 after purchasing an additional 753,828 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MRSH shares. Weiss Ratings began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. They issued a “hold (c)” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price 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. Raymond James Financial raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $212.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRSH opened at $169.25 on Monday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $164.89 and a 1 year high of $248.00. The company has a market capitalization of $81.94 billion, a PE ratio of 20.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.30 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. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $176.34.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued 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 return on equity of 31.60% and a net margin of 15.42%.The firm had revenue of $6.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.52 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.87 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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