Wellington Management Group LLP Raises Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,091,478 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,260,434 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP owned approximately 3.08% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $3,041,386,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRSH. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MRSH. Mizuho reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $199.00 price objective (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Evercore decreased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $216.12.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MRSH opened at $172.18 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $170.37 and a 52-week high of $248.00. The firm has a market cap of $83.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.74.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.52 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.60% and a net margin of 15.42%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.87 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.70%.

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.