Capital Investment Advisors LLC Decreases Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Capital Investment Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 4.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 159,662 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 7,601 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $29,621,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MRSH. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 21,538,014 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,340,556,000 after buying an additional 96,436 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 18,590,697 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,745,889,000 after purchasing an additional 221,033 shares during the period. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.5% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,702,898 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,567,410,000 after purchasing an additional 92,767 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.1% during the third 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. Finally, Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 9,861,067 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,987,301,000 after buying an additional 68,826 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on MRSH. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target 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. Citigroup raised their price objective 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. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $209.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $212.06.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:MRSH opened at $169.25 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $81.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.74. 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’s fifty day simple moving average is $176.34. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $164.89 and a 52-week high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released 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. The firm had revenue of $6.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.52 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.60% and a net margin of 15.42%.The company’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.87 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share 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. Shareholders 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 yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 42.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.