33,744 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. cut its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,066,912 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 33,744 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.22% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $182,154,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $20,477,000. Profund Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 10.1% during the 3rd quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 4,445 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $759,000 after acquiring an additional 406 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 20,727 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,539,000 after acquiring an additional 1,459 shares during the period. Investment Partners LTD. lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 100.2% during the 3rd quarter. Investment Partners LTD. now owns 3,320 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $567,000 after purchasing an additional 1,662 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Americana Partners LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth $294,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:MRSH opened at $200.52 on Monday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $156.60 and a 52 week high of $202.70. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $182.37. The company has a market capitalization of $95.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 33.32% and a net margin of 14.20%. The business had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.48 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,215 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $243,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 2,705 shares in the company, valued at $541,000. This represents a 30.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Dean Klisura sold 4,194 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $838,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 20,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,187,000. This represents a 16.69% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on MRSH shares. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $179.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $215.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $204.42.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies is a global professional services firm that provides advice and solutions in risk, strategy and people. The company serves businesses, governments and institutions through a portfolio of specialized businesses focused on insurance brokerage, reinsurance, consulting and talent management.

Its principal businesses include Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory firm; Guy Carpenter, a provider of reinsurance brokerage and related risk-management services; Mercer, which offers consulting in investment, retirement, health and workforce strategy; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm serving clients across industries and regions.

Founded in 1905, Marsh & McLennan serves clients in countries and markets around the world.

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