Chesley Taft & Associates LLC Has $1.87 Million Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Chesley Taft & Associates LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 66.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 10,052 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,011 shares during the period. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,865,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth about $32,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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 transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MRSH shares. Mizuho reiterated 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. cut their price target on shares of 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 upped their price target 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. 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. They issued a “hold (c)” rating on the stock. One 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 given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $212.06.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE MRSH opened at $169.25 on Monday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $164.89 and a 52 week high of $248.00. 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. The company has a market cap 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.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.52 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.87 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

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.