World Investment Advisors Purchases Shares of 16,712 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Key Points

• World Investment Advisors initiated a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter, buying 16,712 shares worth about $3.1 million.
• Institutional interest remains high, with hedge funds and other investors owning 87.99% of the company’s shares, while several other funds also modestly increased their stakes.
• Analysts are mixed on the stock: the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $200.19, even as CEO John Q. Doyle sold shares in a pre-arranged transaction and the company recently beat quarterly EPS estimates.

World Investment Advisors purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 16,712 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,100,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Procyon Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,279 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $423,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,758 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $326,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC raised its holdings in shares of 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 lifted its stake in 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 worth $306,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Heartland Consultants Inc. boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. First Heartland Consultants Inc. now owns 1,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $202,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $193.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price 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. Citigroup upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $200.19.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total transaction of $2,693,441.76. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,889,506.81. 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 accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRSH opened at $161.96 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $156.60 and a twelve month high of $220.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The company has a market cap of $78.24 billion, a PE ratio of 20.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.62.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 firm had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict 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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