Mercury General Co. (NYSE:MCY) Shares Acquired by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in shares of Mercury General Co. (NYSE:MCY - Free Report) by 664.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 52,615 shares of the insurance provider's stock after acquiring an additional 45,736 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 0.10% of Mercury General worth $3,498,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Mercury General by 145.1% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 554 shares of the insurance provider's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 328 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Mercury General in the 4th quarter valued at about $44,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in Mercury General by 772.9% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 742 shares of the insurance provider's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 657 shares in the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Mercury General in the 4th quarter valued at about $60,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Mercury General in the 4th quarter valued at about $68,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.39% of the company's stock.

Mercury General Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of MCY traded up $1.03 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $54.94. The company's stock had a trading volume of 417,020 shares, compared to its average volume of 399,323. Mercury General Co. has a 12-month low of $44.19 and a 12-month high of $80.72. The stock has a market cap of $3.04 billion, a PE ratio of 6.50 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.34. The company's 50 day moving average is $54.20 and its 200 day moving average is $60.87.

Mercury General (NYSE:MCY - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The insurance provider reported $2.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.84. Mercury General had a return on equity of 22.54% and a net margin of 8.55%. Equities analysts anticipate that Mercury General Co. will post -0.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mercury General Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 13th were paid a dividend of $0.3175 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 13th. This represents a $1.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. This is a boost from Mercury General's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Mercury General's dividend payout ratio is currently 15.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Mercury General from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Raymond James upgraded Mercury General from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $70.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 12th.

Mercury General Company Profile

Mercury General Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in writing personal automobile insurance in the United States. The company also writes homeowners, commercial automobile, commercial property, mechanical protection, and umbrella insurance products. Its automobile insurance products include collision, property damage, bodily injury, comprehensive, personal injury protection, underinsured and uninsured motorist, and other hazards; and homeowners insurance products comprise dwelling, liability, personal property, and other coverages.