Sanctuary Advisors LLC Takes $15.06 Million Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 86,819 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $15,059,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,589,633 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,643,309,000 after acquiring an additional 387,100 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $3,482,557,000. Capital World Investors bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $3,140,284,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,967,927,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MRSH. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. UBS Group boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $200.81.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total value of $2,693,441.76. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,889,506.81. This trade represents 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 through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 3.4%

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $182.22 on Friday. 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 one year low of $156.60 and a one year high of $216.32. The company has a market capitalization of $88.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.61.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) 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 firm had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 31.87%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.99 per share. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 23rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 45.00%.

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.