Nykredit A S Makes New $25.63 Million Investment in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Key Points

• Nykredit A S purchased 153,775 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth approximately $25.63 million, while institutional investors collectively own 87.99% of the stock.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with a $203.50 price target; recent targets ranged from $188 to $218. The company also exceeded quarterly EPS estimates, reporting $2.96 versus $2.89 expected, with revenue up 6.2% year over year.
• Marsh & McLennan declared a quarterly dividend of $0.99 per share, equivalent to an annualized $3.96 dividend and a 2.3% yield. Insiders have sold 19,813 shares worth about $3.6 million over the past 90 days.

Nykredit A S purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 153,775 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $25,630,000.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Continuum Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.3% during the first quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 1,452 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $252,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 12.6% in the 1st quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 668 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $116,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Columbia Bank lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. Columbia Bank now owns 1,736 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $301,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 26.8% during the 2nd quarter. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp now owns 454 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Florida Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.8% in the first quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,088 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $536,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total value of $1,348,929.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,632 shares in the company, valued at $3,159,913.68. This represents a 29.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total transaction of $141,174.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 16,376 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,242,448. This trade represents a 4.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 19,813 shares of company stock worth $3,597,903. 0.38% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Weiss Ratings raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $203.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of MRSH stock opened at $174.96 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $156.60 and a 12 month high of $207.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.49 billion, a PE ratio of 21.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.58. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $185.78.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.24% and a return on equity of 32.67%. The firm had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $0.99 per share. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is presently 48.41%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies, now operating under the name Marsh McLennan, is a global professional services firm that helps organizations manage risk, strategy and people-related challenges. Its businesses serve corporations, governments, institutional investors and other organizations across a broad range of industries and geographies.

The company's principal businesses include Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory firm; Guy Carpenter, which provides reinsurance brokerage and related risk management services; Mercer, which offers consulting in areas such as talent, health, retirement and investments; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm.

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