16,928 Shares in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Bought by North Dakota State Investment Board

North Dakota State Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 16,928 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,140,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Procyon Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,279 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $423,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.4% during the third quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC now owns 14,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,022,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,673 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.5% during the third quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 1,226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MRSH opened at $166.04 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $80.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.65. The business’s 50-day moving average is $169.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $158.16 and a 1 year high of $235.78.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.87% and a net margin of 14.26%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.37 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th were issued a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 45.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on MRSH shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Bank of America cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $205.00.

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.