Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Sells 14,698 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Key Points

• Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich cut its position in Marsh & McLennan by 15% in the fourth quarter, selling 14,698 shares and leaving it with 83,588 shares valued at about $15.5 million.
• Insider selling also occurred, with CEO John Q. Doyle selling 16,655 shares at an average price of $183.30, reducing his direct ownership by 12.48%.
• The company recently beat first-quarter EPS estimates and posted 7.6% revenue growth, but the stock remains near its 12-month low and below its 50-day moving average, while analysts currently rate it a consensus Hold with a $205 price target.

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich trimmed its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 15.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 83,588 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 14,698 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $15,507,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,856,000 after acquiring an additional 2,960 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 39.6% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 3,064 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $651,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares in the last quarter. Glenview Trust co lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 10.8% in the second quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 3,897 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $852,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares during the period. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 18,440.0% during the second quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 927 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $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 in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,307,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total value of $3,052,861.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Marsh & McLennan Companies

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

• Positive Sentiment: Marsh & McLennan reported strong first-quarter results earlier this year, beating EPS expectations and posting 7.6% revenue growth, which supports the company’s fundamentals and may help limit downside.
• Neutral Sentiment: No major new operating update or earnings release for MRSH was included in the latest news batch, so today’s move appears more tied to broader trading dynamics than to a fresh company announcement.
• Negative Sentiment: The stock is trading close to its 12-month low and remains below its 50-day moving average, which can signal weak technical momentum and may weigh on investor sentiment.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on MRSH. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $193.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. 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 report on Tuesday, April 14th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $205.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.0%

NYSE:MRSH opened at $159.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.00, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.65. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $158.16 and a 12 month high of $235.78. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $170.18.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. The company 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 45.00%.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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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