Wealthfront Advisers LLC Acquires New Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 55,497 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $9,250,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $6,583,806,000. State Street Corp purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $3,482,557,000. Capital World Investors purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $3,140,284,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $2,967,927,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRSH has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $203.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRSH opened at $189.55 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $178.97. 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 $90.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.17, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.59. 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 announced its 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. The firm had revenue of $7.28 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.24% and a return on equity of 32.67%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 16,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,159,913.68. This represents a 29.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 36,469 shares of company stock valued at $6,291,345. 0.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.