HighTower Advisors LLC Has $63.80 Million Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 343,890 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,041 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $63,798,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings 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 worth $8,643,309,000 after acquiring an additional 387,100 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 21,538,014 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,340,556,000 after acquiring an additional 96,436 shares during the period. Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% during 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 during the period. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.5% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,702,898 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,567,410,000 after acquiring an additional 92,767 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.1% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,091,478 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,041,386,000 after purchasing an additional 1,260,434 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total value of $3,052,861.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.2%

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $163.66 on Thursday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $158.16 and a 1-year high of $235.78. The company has a market capitalization of $78.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.65. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $168.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.08. The company 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.37 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th were given a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 45.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on MRSH. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley reduced 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 report on Monday, April 6th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $205.00.

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.