Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Buys 16,500 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Key Points

• Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan by 14.9%, buying 16,500 shares to hold 127,104 shares valued at $23.58 million.
• Several large institutions (including Ninety One UK, Assenagon, Wellington, Arrowstreet and Invesco) significantly boosted positions, leaving institutional ownership at 87.99%.
• Marsh & McLennan reported quarterly EPS of $3.29 (beat by $0.08) with revenue up 7.6%, pays a $0.90 quarterly dividend (2.2% yield), and has a MarketBeat consensus "Hold" rating with a $205.33 target.

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 14.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 127,104 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 16,500 shares during the period. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $23,580,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of MRSH. Ninety One UK Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 163.0% during the 4th quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 3,542,004 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $657,113,000 after purchasing an additional 2,195,201 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9,455.4% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,520,164 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $282,021,000 after acquiring an additional 1,504,255 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.1% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,091,478 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,041,386,000 after purchasing an additional 1,260,434 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 654.7% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,419,104 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $285,992,000 after purchasing an additional 1,231,059 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 29.7% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,293,188 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $663,676,000 after purchasing an additional 753,828 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $166.38 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.16 billion, a PE ratio of 20.80, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.65. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $164.89 and a 52-week high of $235.78. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $173.42.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.08. The business 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% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 45.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company's stock, valued at $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MRSH. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Evercore decreased their target price on shares of 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. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed 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. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $193.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently 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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