8,427 Shares in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Acquired by Equitable Trust Co.

Key Points

• Equitable Trust Co. disclosed a new first-quarter stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, buying 8,427 shares valued at about $1.46 million. The filing comes alongside broad institutional ownership, with nearly 88% of shares held by institutions.
• Analysts remain largely positive on the stock, with recent price-target boosts from Cantor Fitzgerald to $218 and Mizuho to $197, while UBS reiterated a buy rating. Overall, MarketBeat shows a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $200.44.
• Marsh & McLennan also raised its quarterly dividend 10% to $0.99 per share and beat quarterly earnings estimates, reporting $3.29 EPS on revenue of $7.30 billion. CEO John Q. Doyle separately sold shares in a pre-arranged transaction, and the stock was down slightly in recent trading.

Equitable Trust Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 8,427 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,462,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,856,000 after purchasing an additional 2,960 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 39.6% during the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 3,064 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $651,000 after buying an additional 869 shares in the last quarter. Glenview Trust co boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 10.8% in the 2nd quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 3,897 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $852,000 after buying an additional 379 shares during the period. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 18,440.0% in the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 927 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $203,000 after buying an additional 922 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,307,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target on Marsh & McLennan to $218 and reiterated an overweight rating, signaling strong upside expectations. Marsh & McLennan Companies NYSE: MRSH Given New $218.00 Price Target at Cantor Fitzgerald
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho also lifted its price target to $197, keeping a neutral rating, which still reflects a more favorable valuation view. Marsh & McLennan Companies NYSE: MRSH Price Target Raised to $197.00 at Mizuho
• Positive Sentiment: UBS maintained its buy rating on Marsh & McLennan, reinforcing a broadly positive analyst stance on the shares. UBS Sticks to Their Buy Rating for Marsh & McLennan Companies (MRSH)
• Positive Sentiment: Marsh & McLennan increased its quarterly dividend by 10% to $0.99 per share, highlighting strong cash generation and shareholder-friendly capital allocation. Marsh Raises Dividend: Is Its Capital Return Story Getting Stronger?
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also declared the dividend formally for shareholders of record on July 23, which confirms the payout timing but is not a new catalyst. Marsh & McLennan Companies dividend announcement

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on MRSH. Barclays cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Bank of America cut their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Citigroup raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $200.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $200.44.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total transaction of $2,693,441.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,889,506.81. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.3%

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $178.52 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $156.60 and a fifty-two week high of $216.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.24 billion, a PE ratio of 22.32, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.61.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.08. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.87% and a net margin of 14.26%.The company had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be given a dividend of $0.99 per share. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 23rd. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is 45.00%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies NYSE: MMC is a global professional services firm headquartered in New York City that provides advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy and people. Founded in 1905, the company has grown into a diversified group of businesses focused on insurance brokerage and risk management, reinsurance, human capital and investment consulting, and management consulting. Its long history and scale position it as a prominent adviser to corporations, governments and other institutions seeking to manage risk and optimize human and financial capital.

The firm operates through several well-known subsidiaries and business units that specialize in distinct services.

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