Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Has $57.58 Million Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Key Points

• Fjarde AP Fonden boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 55.7% in the first quarter, ending with 331,981 shares valued at about $57.6 million.
• Several analysts trimmed price targets on the stock, and the overall consensus rating remains Hold with an average target of $200.19.
• Marsh & McLennan reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $3.29 per share, while CEO John Q. Doyle also sold shares in a pre-arranged transaction.

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 55.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 331,981 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 118,750 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund owned approximately 0.07% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $57,582,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Solstein Capital LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MRSH. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $203.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $193.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $200.19.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 3.5%

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $178.13 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $86.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.27, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.61. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $156.60 and a 12-month high of $216.32. 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 (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.08. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 31.87%. The company had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total value of $2,693,441.76. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,889,506.81. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.

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