Conning Inc. Purchases Shares of 24,471 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Conning Inc. acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 24,471 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,244,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Procyon Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,279 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $423,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $326,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC now owns 14,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,022,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,673 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $306,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% in the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,823,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,889,506.81. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Marsh & McLennan Companies

Here are the key news stories impacting Marsh & McLennan Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target on Marsh & McLennan to $218 and reiterated an overweight rating, signaling strong upside expectations. Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Given New $218.00 Price Target at Cantor Fitzgerald
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho also lifted its price target to $197, keeping a neutral rating, which still reflects a more favorable valuation view. Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Price Target Raised to $197.00 at Mizuho
• Positive Sentiment: UBS maintained its buy rating on Marsh & McLennan, reinforcing a broadly positive analyst stance on the shares. UBS Sticks to Their Buy Rating for Marsh & McLennan Companies (MRSH)
• Positive Sentiment: Marsh & McLennan increased its quarterly dividend by 10% to $0.99 per share, highlighting strong cash generation and shareholder-friendly capital allocation. Marsh Raises Dividend: Is Its Capital Return Story Getting Stronger?
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also declared the dividend formally for shareholders of record on July 23, which confirms the payout timing but is not a new catalyst. Marsh & McLennan Companies dividend announcement

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on MRSH shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on 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. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings cut Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Bank of America reduced 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 report on Tuesday, April 14th. 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $200.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of MRSH stock opened at $178.52 on Friday. 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 capitalization of $86.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.32, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.61. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $156.60 and a 52-week high of $216.32.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.87% and a net margin of 14.26%.The business’s revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 23rd. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 45.00%.

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.