11,506 Shares in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Bought by Meeder Advisory Services Inc.

Meeder Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 11,506 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,918,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MRSH. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,856,000 after acquiring an additional 2,960 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 39.6% during the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 3,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $651,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares in the last quarter. Glenview Trust co lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 10.8% in the second quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 3,897 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $852,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares during the period. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 18,440.0% in the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $203,000 after buying an additional 922 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,307,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MRSH. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Citigroup downgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Mizuho lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. One 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $201.94.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total value of $141,174.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 16,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,242,448. This represents a 4.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total transaction of $2,107,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 12,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,107,975.65. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 36,469 shares of company stock worth $6,291,345 over the last three months. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MRSH opened at $186.49 on Wednesday. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $178.52. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $156.60 and a 12-month high of $213.80. The firm has a market cap of $88.99 billion, a PE ratio of 22.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.59.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd were given a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 23rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 48.41%.

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.