Baker Avenue Asset Management LP Purchases Shares of 62,570 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Key Points

• Baker Avenue Asset Management initiated a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, buying 62,570 shares valued at about $11.6 million in the fourth quarter.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with 87.99% of the stock held by institutional investors and hedge funds, and several large managers significantly increased their stakes.
• Marsh & McLennan posted a strong quarter, reporting $3.29 EPS versus $3.21 expected on $7.30 billion in revenue, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus "Hold" with a $203.56 target price.

Baker Avenue Asset Management LP bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 62,570 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $11,608,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MRSH. Ninety One UK Ltd lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 163.0% during the fourth quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 3,542,004 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $657,113,000 after purchasing an additional 2,195,201 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9,455.4% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,520,164 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $282,021,000 after purchasing an additional 1,504,255 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.1% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,091,478 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,041,386,000 after purchasing an additional 1,260,434 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 654.7% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,419,104 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $285,992,000 after purchasing an additional 1,231,059 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 29.7% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,293,188 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $663,676,000 after buying an additional 753,828 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRSH has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $200.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $193.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $225.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $203.56.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.1%

MRSH stock opened at $160.70 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $158.16 and a 1-year high of $235.78. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $166.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $172.72. The firm has a market cap of $77.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.09, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.65.

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

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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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