Vancity Investment Management Ltd Makes New $15.17 Million Investment in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Key Points

• Vancity Investment Management disclosed a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, buying 81,766 shares worth about $15.17 million. The position represents roughly 2.1% of its portfolio and is now its 20th largest holding.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with hedge funds and other investors holding 87.99% of the stock. The article also notes several other smaller institutions increased their positions during the quarter.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: recent target price cuts came from UBS and JPMorgan, while Citigroup upgraded the stock to buy. Overall, Marsh & McLennan has a consensus rating of Hold with an average price target of $200.19.

Vancity Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 81,766 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $15,169,000. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up approximately 2.1% of Vancity Investment Management Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Procyon Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,279 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $423,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,758 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC now owns 14,994 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,022,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,673 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $306,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.7% in the third quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 9,996 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,015,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total transaction of $2,693,441.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,889,506.81. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on MRSH. UBS Group dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $203.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Bank of America lowered their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Citigroup raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $200.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $200.19.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MRSH opened at $161.96 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $78.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $156.60 and a twelve month high of $220.32.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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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