Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Stake Raised by Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 25.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,454,586 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 697,541 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $599,198,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Solstein Capital LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,889,506.81. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRSH has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Citigroup downgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $201.69.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MRSH opened at $176.54 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $84.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $156.60 and a twelve month high of $213.80.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.The company had revenue of $7.28 billion for the quarter. The company’s revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be issued a $0.99 dividend. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 23rd. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 44.01%.

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.