Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Has $100.51 Million Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan (MRSH) by 7.6% to 538,931 shares worth $100.51 million, about 0.11% of the company.
• CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares for roughly $3.05 million on March 4, cutting his position by 12.48% to 116,811 shares; insiders now own about 0.38% of MRSH.
• Marsh & McLennan beat EPS estimates with $3.29 versus a $3.21 consensus on $7.30 billion in revenue, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.90 (annualized $3.60, ~2.0% yield) payable May 15.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 7.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 538,931 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 38,118 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.11% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $100,510,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MRSH. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. City Holding Co. acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE MRSH opened at $178.87 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $86.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.36, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $164.89 and a 1-year high of $235.78. The business has a fifty day moving average of $173.97.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 31.87%. The firm's revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.33 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 45.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. They set a "hold (c)" rating for the company. Evercore lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $205.33.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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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