California State Teachers Retirement System Lowers Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

California State Teachers Retirement System lessened its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 3.0% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 729,798 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 22,476 shares during the quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $126,583,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,316,579 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $575,261,000 after buying an additional 148,884 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 20.5% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 35,578 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,171,000 after buying an additional 6,052 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.1% in the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,572,947 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $272,828,000 after acquiring an additional 46,720 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 57.2% in the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 246,855 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $42,817,000 after acquiring an additional 89,792 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Family Manage LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at $266,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on MRSH. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Barclays cut their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $201.94.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total transaction of $1,348,929.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 16,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,159,913.68. This represents a 29.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total transaction of $2,693,441.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,889,506.81. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 35,756 shares of company stock valued at $6,150,171. 0.38% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of MRSH stock opened at $197.56 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The business has a 50 day moving average of $172.40. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $156.60 and a 52 week high of $213.80. The company has a market capitalization of $94.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.15, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.61.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.24% and a return on equity of 32.67%. The company had revenue of $7.28 billion for the quarter. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.99 per share. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 23rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.41%.

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.