Calamos Advisors LLC Buys New Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Calamos Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 134,122 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $23,263,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Numerai GP LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 966.2% in the 3rd quarter. Numerai GP LLC now owns 37,220 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,501,000 after buying an additional 33,729 shares during the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.5% during 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 buying an additional 11,648 shares during the last quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Sarasin & Partners LLP now owns 934,732 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $173,411,000 after acquiring an additional 8,283 shares in the last quarter. CSM Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at about $1,180,000. Finally, Essex LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter worth about $2,891,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE MRSH opened at $178.38 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The company has a market cap of $86.17 billion, a PE ratio of 22.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.61. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $156.60 and a 12 month high of $216.32.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be given a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 23rd. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 45.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Barclays cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $200.81.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 transaction 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 approximately $18,889,506.81. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

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.