18,593 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Shares Bought by Candriam S.C.A.

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. increased its stake by 34.3%, buying 18,593 shares in the third quarter to hold 72,745 shares valued at about $12.5 million.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: the consensus rating is Hold, with an average price target of $205.84; two analysts rate the stock a Strong Buy, seven Buy, nine Hold, and two Sell.
• Marsh & McLennan reported quarterly EPS of $2.03, beating the $1.96 estimate, while revenue rose 8.1% year over year to $6.86 billion.

Candriam S.C.A. raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 34.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 72,745 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 18,593 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $12,465,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MRSH. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.6% in the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 9,612 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,701,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.9% during the third quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,938 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $502,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 37.7% in the third quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 219 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. TOWER TRUST & INVESTMENT Co raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.6% in the third quarter. TOWER TRUST & INVESTMENT Co now owns 891 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $152,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 12.6% in the 1st quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 668 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRSH has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $234.00 to $224.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, November 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $191.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $193.00 to $188.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Two equities 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $205.84.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,215 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $243,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $541,000. The trade was a 30.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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. Also, CEO Dean Klisura sold 4,194 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $838,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $4,187,000. The trade was a 16.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $204.59 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $97.29 billion, a PE ratio of 20.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $184.01. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $156.60 and a 12 month high of $214.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 net margin of 14.20% and a return on equity of 33.32%. The company's revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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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