Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Stock Bought by Capital Investment Advisors LLC

Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 106.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 520,818 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 267,954 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises approximately 1.1% of Capital Investment Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Capital Investment Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.11% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $88,919,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth approximately $6,583,806,000. Ninety One UK Ltd lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 41.8% during the 3rd quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 5,632,700 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $961,671,000 after acquiring an additional 1,661,178 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $685,621,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 25.3% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,454,586 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $599,198,000 after purchasing an additional 697,541 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth approximately $575,845,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total transaction of $141,174.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 16,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,242,448. The trade was a 4.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total transaction of $1,348,929.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 16,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,159,913.68. The trade was a 29.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $197.71 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $181.60. The stock has a market cap of $94.01 billion, a PE ratio of 23.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.59. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $156.60 and a 52-week high of $200.33.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 33.32% and a net margin of 14.20%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be issued a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is currently 47.37%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $193.00 to $188.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Erste Group Bank raised Marsh & McLennan Companies to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $215.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $204.42.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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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