R Squared Ltd Buys New Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 3,581 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $611,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter worth $2,153,000. Daiichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at about $3,880,000. Korea Investment CORP bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at about $46,856,000. Bank of Nova Scotia bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at about $20,681,000. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.7% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 3,316,579 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $575,261,000 after acquiring an additional 148,884 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of MRSH opened at $205.69 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $97.81 billion, a PE ratio of 24.60, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.53. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $156.60 and a 12-month high of $214.00. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $185.11.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 33.32% and a net margin of 14.20%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,215 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $243,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $541,000. This represents a 30.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Dean Klisura sold 4,194 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $838,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,187,000. This trade represents a 16.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MRSH shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, October 19th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $191.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $193.00 to $188.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $205.84.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies, now known as Marsh, is a professional services firm focused on risk, strategy and people. Its businesses help organizations assess and manage risk, arrange insurance and reinsurance, and address workforce and organizational challenges. The company operates through Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory business; Guy Carpenter, which specializes in reinsurance and related risk services; Mercer, which provides health, wealth and career consulting; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm.