First Trust Advisors LP Lowers Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

First Trust Advisors LP reduced its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 1.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,157,404 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 14,994 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.24% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $233,252,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,158,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,092,108,000 after purchasing an additional 837,117 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.6% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,684,210 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,762,513,000 after purchasing an additional 196,475 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter worth about $1,328,587,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 10.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,872,982 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $982,071,000 after buying an additional 441,029 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 3,443,454 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $752,877,000 after buying an additional 32,118 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 shares were sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total value of $3,052,861.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,411,456.30. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:MRSH opened at $183.43 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $88.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.74. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $170.37 and a fifty-two week high of $248.00. 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 (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.87 earnings per share. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MRSH shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of 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 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Evercore decreased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $216.18.

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.