Banco Santander S.A. Purchases Shares of 139,648 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Banco Santander S.A. bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 139,648 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $25,907,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Capital International Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,482,557,000. Capital World Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,140,284,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,555,869,000. Capital Research Global Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,481,896,000. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $941,815,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Citigroup raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $200.19.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MRSH opened at $168.67 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $156.60 and a 1 year high of $220.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The stock has a market cap of $81.49 billion, a PE ratio of 21.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.62.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.87% and a net margin of 14.26%.The company had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total transaction of $2,693,441.76. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,889,506.81. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

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.