Vinva Investment Management Ltd Acquires 14,551 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Vinva Investment Management Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 54.5% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 41,262 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,551 shares during the period. Vinva Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $8,262,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRSH. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth $29,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter worth $45,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $183.43 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.76, a PEG ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.74. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $170.37 and a 52-week high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $6.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.87 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 42.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRSH has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup increased their price objective 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $216.18.

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.