Formuepleje A S Cuts Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Formuepleje A S lowered its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 14.6% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 46,902 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 8,025 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up approximately 0.6% of Formuepleje A S’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Formuepleje A S’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $7,817,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 16,707.0% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 122,656,786 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $20,443,207,000 after buying an additional 121,926,988 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth $6,583,806,000. State Street Corp purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $3,482,557,000. Finally, Capital World Investors purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $3,140,284,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MRSH stock opened at $185.80 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $185.10. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $156.60 and a 12 month high of $207.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.71, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.58.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.44 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was 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 directly owned 16,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,159,913.68. This trade represents a 29.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lloyd Yates sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total transaction of $2,107,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 12,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,107,975.65. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 19,813 shares of company stock worth $3,597,903. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Citigroup lowered Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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 report on Wednesday, July 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $203.50.

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.