Hosking Partners LLP Makes New Investment in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Hosking Partners LLP bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 64,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $10,927,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 9,612 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,701,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 1,452 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $252,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 12.6% in the first quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 668 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $116,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Kintegral Advisory LLC boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.6% in the third quarter. Kintegral Advisory LLC now owns 14,387 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,456,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Columbia Bank grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.1% during the first quarter. Columbia Bank now owns 1,736 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:MRSH opened at $190.61 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The company has a market cap of $90.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.59. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $156.60 and a 12 month high of $198.49. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $181.18.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.20% and a return on equity of 33.32%. The company had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter. The firm’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st will be issued a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total value of $1,348,929.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 16,632 shares in the company, valued at $3,159,913.68. The trade was a 29.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total value of $141,174.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 16,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,242,448. This represents a 4.17% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MRSH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $215.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $193.00 to $188.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $179.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Bank of America decreased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $179.00 to $178.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised Marsh & McLennan Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $204.42.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies is a global professional services firm that provides advice and solutions in risk, strategy and people. The company serves businesses, governments and institutions through a portfolio of specialized businesses focused on insurance brokerage, reinsurance, consulting and talent management.

Its principal businesses include Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory firm; Guy Carpenter, a provider of reinsurance brokerage and related risk-management services; Mercer, which offers consulting in investment, retirement, health and workforce strategy; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm serving clients across industries and regions.

Founded in 1905, Marsh & McLennan serves clients in countries and markets around the world.