EP Wealth Advisors LLC Acquires New Shares in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 40,569 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $6,762,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MRSH. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,589,633 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,643,309,000 after purchasing an additional 387,100 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $6,583,806,000. State Street Corp acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,057,682,000. Capital International Investors bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $3,482,557,000. Finally, Capital World Investors bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $3,140,284,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $18,889,506.81. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total transaction of $2,107,800.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 12,001 shares in the company, valued at $2,107,975.65. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 36,469 shares of company stock worth $6,291,345 in the last 90 days. 0.38% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of MRSH opened at $192.17 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $179.88. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $156.60 and a 12 month high of $212.65. The firm has a market cap of $91.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.49, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share 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 during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MRSH. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. One 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 given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $203.50.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.