22,564 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Bought by DMKC Advisory Services LLC

Key Points

• DMKC Advisory Services initiated a position in Marsh & McLennan, buying 22,564 shares valued at approximately $3.85 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds own about 88% of the stock.
• Analyst views are mixed: MarketBeat reports a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $205.84, with ratings ranging from Sell to Strong Buy.
• The company beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting EPS of $2.03 versus $1.96 forecast, while revenue rose 8.1% year over year to $6.86 billion. It also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.99 per share.

DMKC Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 22,564 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,852,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Asset Dedication LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Quest 10 Wealth Builders Inc. raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 95.0% in the 3rd 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 during the period. EFG International AG acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,215 shares of the firm'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 sale, the vice president directly owned 2,705 shares in the company, valued at $541,000. This trade represents 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 hyperlink. 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 on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $838,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $4,187,000. This represents 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MRSH. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $215.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $204.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Erste Group Bank raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $216.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $205.84.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE MRSH opened at $204.59 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.53. 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 stock's 50-day simple moving average is $184.01. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $156.60 and a one year high of $214.00.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

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 paid a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is presently 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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