Rathbones Group PLC Buys New Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Rathbones Group PLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,356,972 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $235,367,000. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up approximately 0.9% of Rathbones Group PLC's holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. Rathbones Group PLC owned approximately 0.28% of Marsh & McLennan Companies as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 134,542 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $24,960,000 after purchasing an additional 11,648 shares during the last quarter. Essex LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth about $2,891,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 20.6% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 88,934 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $16,499,000 after buying an additional 15,166 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,589,633 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $8,643,309,000 after buying an additional 387,100 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 26.6% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 35,293 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,549,000 after acquiring an additional 7,418 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider owned 16,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,159,913.68. This trade represents a 29.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total value of $2,107,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 12,001 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,107,975.65. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 36,469 shares of company stock worth $6,291,345 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MRSH stock opened at $189.89 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $156.60 and a 1-year high of $213.80. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $173.23. The company has a market capitalization of $90.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.59.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be issued a dividend of $0.99 per share. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 23rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.41%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRSH has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $201.94.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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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