North Dakota State Investment Board Takes Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

North Dakota State Investment Board bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 16,928 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,140,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter worth about $29,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth about $32,000. City Holding Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth about $35,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on MRSH. Raymond James Financial upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Citigroup upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $205.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

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

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

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.