Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Buys New Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 13,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,202,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MRSH. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $6,583,806,000. State Street Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $3,482,557,000. Capital World Investors purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $3,140,284,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $2,967,927,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MRSH. Citigroup downgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $203.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total transaction of $2,107,800.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 12,001 shares in the company, valued at $2,107,975.65. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total transaction of $141,174.00. Following the transaction, 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. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 36,469 shares of company stock valued at $6,291,345. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $194.61 on Tuesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $156.60 and a 1-year high of $211.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.79, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $180.45.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd were given a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. 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. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.41%.

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.