Daiichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. Takes $3.88 Million Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Daiichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 23,277 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,880,000.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Solstein Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Asset Dedication LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $203.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of MRSH opened at $192.17 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $179.88. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $156.60 and a 12-month high of $212.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company has a market cap of $91.71 billion, a PE ratio of 23.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.59.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.24% and a return on equity of 32.67%. The firm had revenue of $7.28 billion for the quarter. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 23rd were issued a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 23rd. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total transaction of $2,693,441.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,889,506.81. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total value of $2,107,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 12,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,107,975.65. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 36,469 shares of company stock worth $6,291,345 in the last quarter. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.