Bridgewater Advisors Inc. Buys Shares of 4,876 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Bridgewater Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 4,876 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $775,000.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% in 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 last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC boosted its position in 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 worth $651,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares during the period. Glenview Trust co increased its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 18,440.0% in the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 927 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $203,000 after purchasing an additional 922 shares during the period. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,307,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MRSH shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings downgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Citigroup cut shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $201.69.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 2.4%

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $180.66 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $86.21 billion, a PE ratio of 22.09, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.14. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $156.60 and a 12 month high of $213.80.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.The business had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be paid a $0.99 dividend. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 23rd. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total value of $2,693,441.76. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $18,889,506.81. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.