Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Has $3.02 Million Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC cut its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 29.2% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 16,250 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 6,716 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $3,015,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Numerai GP LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 966.2% during the 3rd quarter. Numerai GP LLC now owns 37,220 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,501,000 after buying an additional 33,729 shares during the period. Rockland Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 801.6% in the third quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 12,073 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,433,000 after acquiring an additional 10,734 shares in the last quarter. Navera Investment Management Ltd. raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.0% during the third quarter. Navera Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,623,960 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $327,303,000 after purchasing an additional 105,954 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 41.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,202,372 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $443,844,000 after purchasing an additional 647,987 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 76,196 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $15,356,000 after purchasing an additional 3,177 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on MRSH. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. They set a “hold (c)” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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 research report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $199.00 price target (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Friday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $212.06.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total value of $3,052,861.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. The trade was 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. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of MRSH opened at $173.22 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $164.89 and a twelve month high of $248.00. The company has a market cap of $83.86 billion, a PE ratio of 20.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.74. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $176.31.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its earnings results 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. The business 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 firm’s revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.87 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $0.90 dividend. 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 (DPR) 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.