11,965 Shares in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Bought by Palisade Asset Management LLC

Key Points

• Palisade Asset Management opened a new position in Marsh & McLennan, buying 11,965 shares valued at about $2.04 million; institutional investors overall own 87.99% of the stock.
• Analyst views are mixed: ratings average to Hold, with a consensus price target of $205.84. Recent calls ranged from Bank of America’s Underperform to BMO Capital Markets’ Outperform.
• Marsh & McLennan beat quarterly EPS estimates, reporting $2.03 per share versus $1.96 expected, while revenue rose 8.1% year over year. It also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.99 per share.

Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 11,965 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,043,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter worth $6,583,806,000. Corient Private Wealth LP bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at $66,475,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at $685,621,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth about $575,845,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter worth about $532,438,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Erste Group Bank raised Marsh & McLennan Companies to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $179.00 to $178.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $215.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $216.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $204.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $205.84.

Trending Headlines about Marsh & McLennan Companies

Here are the key news stories impacting Marsh & McLennan Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2027 EPS estimate to $11.39 from $11.23 and FY2028 to $12.28 from $12.13. It also nudged several quarterly forecasts higher. These revisions point to improving expectations for earnings growth, though they are one research firm’s estimates.
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets raised MRSH to Outperform, a favorable analyst rating that may bolster investor sentiment. Read article: Marsh & McLennan Companies Raised to Outperform at BMO Capital Markets
• Positive Sentiment: A published valuation analysis says MRSH may be 27% undervalued following the AltamarCAM deal, suggesting potential upside if investors agree with its assessment. Read article: Marsh Stock May Be 27% Undervalued Following AltamarCAM Deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Marsh appointed Marcus Baker chairman and Michael Walls global head of Marine, Cargo, and Logistics. The leadership changes may be relevant to the business, but the report provides no financial details indicating an immediate earnings impact. Read article: Marsh & McLennan appoints Marcus Baker and Michael Walls
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered its Q4 2026 EPS estimate to $2.15 from $2.19 and Q3 2027 to $2.19 from $2.21. Its FY2026 estimate of $10.43 also remains below the cited consensus of $10.48, indicating some near-term caution.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of MRSH stock opened at $204.29 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $183.78. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $156.60 and a 12-month high of $214.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The company has a market capitalization of $97.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.53.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 33.32% and a net margin of 14.20%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.37%.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO Dean Klisura sold 4,194 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $838,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 20,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,187,000. The trade was a 16.69% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,215 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $243,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 2,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at $541,000. This trade represents a 30.99% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies, now known as Marsh, is a professional services firm focused on risk, strategy and people. Its businesses help organizations assess and manage risk, arrange insurance and reinsurance, and address workforce and organizational challenges.

The company operates through Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory business; Guy Carpenter, which specializes in reinsurance and related risk services; Mercer, which provides health, wealth and career consulting; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm.

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