Van ECK Associates Corp Increases Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 101,438 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 4,629 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $20,443,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,328,587,000. Soundwatch Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter worth $560,820,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 212.6% during the second quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,285,194 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $499,635,000 after purchasing an additional 1,554,114 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 89.2% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 2,892,576 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $615,309,000 after purchasing an additional 1,363,706 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.8% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,158,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,092,108,000 after purchasing an additional 837,117 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total value of $3,052,861.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.6%

MRSH stock traded up $1.06 during trading on Friday, reaching $171.94. The company had a trading volume of 174,911 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,982,236. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $170.37 and a twelve month high of $248.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.24 billion, a PE ratio of 20.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.74.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. 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 report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Barclays decreased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $209.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $216.12.

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.