Bank of New York Mellon Corp Buys Shares of 3,321,700 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Key Points

• Bank of New York Mellon Corp disclosed a new fourth-quarter stake in Marsh & McLennan, buying 3.32 million shares worth about $616.2 million and giving it a 0.68% ownership position.
• Several other institutional investors also added to their holdings, and overall institutional ownership of the stock stands at 87.99%.
• Analysts remain cautious overall: the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $203.56, even as some firms cut targets and Marsh & McLennan reported Q1 EPS of $3.29, topping estimates.

Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 3,321,700 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $616,242,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned 0.68% of Marsh & McLennan Companies as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Procyon Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,279 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $423,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,758 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $326,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Lindenwold Advisors INC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC now owns 14,994 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,022,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,673 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $306,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 1,226 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $247,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MRSH. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $193.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 13th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $225.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $203.56.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,656 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.71, for a total value of $2,693,441.76. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,889,506.81. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 2.4%

NYSE:MRSH opened at $157.52 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $156.60 and a one year high of $235.38. The company has a market cap of $76.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.62.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion for 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% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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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