Bank of New York Mellon Corp Invests $616.24 Million in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 3,321,700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $616,242,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake 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 valued at $8,643,309,000 after acquiring an additional 387,100 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 21,538,014 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,340,556,000 after acquiring an additional 96,436 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 18,590,697 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,745,889,000 after acquiring an additional 221,033 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,702,898 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,567,410,000 after acquiring an additional 92,767 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,091,478 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,041,386,000 after acquiring an additional 1,260,434 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 2.4%

NYSE MRSH opened at $157.52 on Thursday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $156.60 and a 1 year high of $235.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.10 billion, a PE ratio of 19.69, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.62.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.08. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 31.87%. The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.38 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MRSH shares. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $193.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target 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. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target 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. One investment 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 issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $203.56.

Insider Activity

In other 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 value of $2,693,441.76. Following the completion of the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.