Korea Investment CORP Buys Shares of 281,131 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Korea Investment CORP purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 281,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $46,856,000. Korea Investment CORP owned 0.06% of Marsh & McLennan Companies at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% in the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,337 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,823,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. MMA Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. MMA Asset Management LLC now owns 4,083 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $757,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.3% during the first quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 1,452 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $252,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 12.6% in the 1st quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 668 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $116,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC now owns 8,883 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MRSH opened at $192.17 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $156.60 and a fifty-two week high of $212.65. The company has a market capitalization of $91.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.59. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $179.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.24% and a return on equity of 32.67%. The business had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect 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 was paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 23rd were given a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 23rd. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRSH has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald upped 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. Weiss Ratings upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total value of $2,107,800.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 12,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,107,975.65. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total value of $141,174.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 16,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,242,448. This represents a 4.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 36,469 shares of company stock valued at $6,291,345. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.