DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale Buys Shares of 1,193,291 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm bought 1,193,291 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $211,798,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 134,542 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $24,960,000 after buying an additional 11,648 shares in the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 934,732 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $173,411,000 after acquiring an additional 8,283 shares in the last quarter. Essex LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $2,891,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 20.6% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 88,934 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $16,499,000 after purchasing an additional 15,166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,589,633 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,643,309,000 after purchasing an additional 387,100 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MRSH stock opened at $182.20 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $156.60 and a 1 year high of $213.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $88.02 billion, a PE ratio of 22.77, a PEG ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.61.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.87% and a net margin of 14.26%.The company’s revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.36 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.99 per share. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 23rd. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 45.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total value of $2,693,441.76. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $18,889,506.81. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MRSH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Citigroup raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $200.81.

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.