Pensionfund Sabic Takes $1.54 Million Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Pensionfund Sabic purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 8,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,540,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,856,000 after buying an additional 2,960 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 39.6% during the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 3,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $651,000 after acquiring an additional 869 shares during the period. Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $263,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter worth $1,064,000. Finally, Insigneo Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.8% during the second quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,391 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $304,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRSH has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays cut their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $209.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $212.06.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MRSH opened at $173.01 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market cap of $83.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.52, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $177.30. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $164.89 and a 52-week high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.15. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. The firm had revenue of $6.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.87 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 42.70%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total value of $3,052,861.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.