Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Cuts Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. cut its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 215,543 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,947 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $35,925,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter worth $2,153,000. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 134,542 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $24,960,000 after acquiring an additional 11,648 shares during the last quarter. Daiichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at about $3,880,000. Korea Investment CORP purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter worth about $46,856,000. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $20,681,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were 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. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total transaction of $1,348,929.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,159,913.68. The trade was a 29.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 36,469 shares of company stock worth $6,291,345 over the last ninety days. 0.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRSH has been the topic of several recent research reports. 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 note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Citigroup cut shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 target price for the company. in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $203.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $192.90 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $182.75. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $156.60 and a 52 week high of $207.82.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.The company had revenue of $7.28 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd were given a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 23rd. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.41%.

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.