219,498 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Shares Sold by Mawer Investment Management Ltd.

Key Points

• Mawer Investment Management cut its Marsh & McLennan stake by 11.7%, selling 219,498 shares in the third quarter; it retained 1.65 million shares worth about $282 million.
• Marsh & McLennan beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting EPS of $2.03 versus $1.96 expected, while revenue rose 8.1% year over year to $6.86 billion.
• Analysts’ consensus rating was Hold, with an average price target of $206.79. BMO upgraded the stock to Outperform, while the company’s quarterly dividend was $0.99 per share.

Mawer Investment Management Ltd. lowered its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 11.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,651,661 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 219,498 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises about 2.1% of Mawer Investment Management Ltd.'s portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. owned 0.35% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $281,988,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MRSH. Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 95.0% during the third quarter. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. now owns 156 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. EFG International AG purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Gen Wealth Partners Inc acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,215 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $243,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 2,705 shares of the company's stock, valued at $541,000. The trade was a 30.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 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 business'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 value of $838,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 20,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,187,000. The trade was a 16.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MRSH stock traded up $1.77 on Friday, reaching $207.46. 1,823,985 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,267,589. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $156.60 and a 1 year 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $185.49. The company has a market cap of $98.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.53.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.20% and a return on equity of 33.32%. The firm had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter. The firm's revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on MRSH shares. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $204.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $193.00 to $188.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Evercore decreased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $234.00 to $224.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, November 4th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $206.79.

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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