Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Invests $3.41 Million in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 19,650 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,408,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 134,542 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $24,960,000 after purchasing an additional 11,648 shares during the period. Essex LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at about $2,891,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 20.6% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 88,934 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,499,000 after buying an additional 15,166 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,589,633 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,643,309,000 after buying an additional 387,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 26.6% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 35,293 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,549,000 after acquiring an additional 7,418 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $201.94.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,889,506.81. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of MRSH stock opened at $183.29 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.47 billion, a PE ratio of 22.41, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.61. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

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

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.