Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Acquires Shares of 4,520 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 4,520 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $784,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during 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 during the last quarter. State Street Corp purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,482,557,000. Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,140,284,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $2,967,927,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 3.4%

MRSH opened at $182.22 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The firm has a market cap of $88.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.78, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.61. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $156.60 and a one year high of $216.32.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.99 per share. This is an increase 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 45.00%.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the company’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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,889,506.81. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Barclays reduced 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. Citigroup upgraded 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 research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $194.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $200.81.

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.