ProShare Advisors LLC Purchases 5,480 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

ProShare Advisors LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 5.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 113,464 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,480 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $21,050,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MRSH. City Holding Co. purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at $29,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Bank of America lowered their price target on 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective 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 assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $205.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRSH 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 stock has a 50-day moving average price of $168.84. The company has a market capitalization of $78.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.37 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th were given a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

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.