19,247 Shares in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Purchased by Lafayette Investments Inc.

Lafayette Investments Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 19,247 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,338,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted 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 worth $8,643,309,000 after acquiring an additional 387,100 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,482,557,000. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.5% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,702,898 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,567,410,000 after purchasing an additional 92,767 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $2,967,927,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total transaction of $2,693,441.76. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,889,506.81. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of MRSH opened at $178.13 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $156.60 and a 52 week high of $216.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.05 billion, a PE ratio of 22.27, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.61.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.87% and a net margin of 14.26%.The business had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on MRSH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $203.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $200.19.

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.