Gateway Wealth Partners LLC Makes New $638,000 Investment in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Gateway Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 3,677 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $638,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,589,633 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,643,309,000 after purchasing an additional 387,100 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $3,482,557,000. Capital World Investors acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $3,140,284,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $2,967,927,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $18,889,506.81. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 16,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,159,913.68. The trade was a 29.92% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 35,756 shares of company stock worth $6,150,171 over the last three months. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MRSH opened at $191.50 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $156.60 and a one year high of $213.80. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $172.84. The company has a market cap of $91.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.41, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.61.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.The company had revenue of $7.28 billion for the quarter. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders 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 represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.41%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Bank of America dropped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on 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. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $201.94.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.