PFG Advisors Sells 7,282 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

PFG Advisors cut its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 47.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 7,953 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 7,282 shares during the period. PFG Advisors’ holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,475,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MRSH. Ninety One UK Ltd raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 163.0% in the fourth quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 3,542,004 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $657,113,000 after purchasing an additional 2,195,201 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9,455.4% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,520,164 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $282,021,000 after purchasing an additional 1,504,255 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.1% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,091,478 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,041,386,000 after purchasing an additional 1,260,434 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 654.7% in the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,419,104 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $285,992,000 after purchasing an additional 1,231,059 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 29.7% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,293,188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $663,676,000 after purchasing an additional 753,828 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MRSH. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings started coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. They issued a “hold (c)” rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $205.33.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of MRSH stock opened at $175.37 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $84.49 billion, a PE ratio of 21.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.75. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $164.89 and a 1 year high of $235.78. The company has a 50 day moving average of $174.13.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 31.87%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.35 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid 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 presently 45.00%.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction 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. 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 the SEC website. 0.38% of the stock is owned by 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.