53,954 Shares in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Acquired by Wealthfront Advisers LLC

Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 53,954 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $9,358,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at $29,000. Solstein Capital LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MRSH opened at $182.20 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.02 billion, a PE ratio of 22.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.61. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $156.60 and a 52 week high of $213.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.99 per share. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 23rd. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 45.00%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,889,506.81. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRSH has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Citigroup raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective 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. One equities research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $200.81.

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.