Benjamin Edwards Inc. Purchases 7,418 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Key Points

• Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan (NYSE:MRSH) by 26.6% in Q4, buying 7,418 shares to hold 35,293 shares valued at about $6.55 million.
• Several brokerages recently cut price targets (Mizuho, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, BofA), yet the consensus rating is a "Hold" with a $205.33 target while the stock trades near $167.92 (52-week low $164.89).
• Marsh & McLennan beat Q earnings with $3.29 EPS and revenue up 7.6% year-over-year, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.90 (annual $3.60, yield ~2.1%).

Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 26.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,293 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 7,418 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $6,549,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 242.4% in the fourth quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 12,543 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,331,000 after purchasing an additional 8,880 shares during the period. Composition Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Composition Wealth LLC now owns 13,889 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,577,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the period. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $72,762,000. Horizon Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 39.9% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 38,255 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,097,000 after purchasing an additional 10,910 shares during the period. Finally, Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 44.4% in the fourth quarter. Robertson Stephens Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,991 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $369,000 after purchasing an additional 612 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MRSH. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $193.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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 research report on Thursday, April 9th. Bank of America lowered 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 research report on Tuesday, April 14th. 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 research report on Tuesday, February 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $205.33.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:MRSH opened at $167.92 on Tuesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $164.89 and a 52 week high of $235.78. The company has a market capitalization of $80.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.65. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $173.42. 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 (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.36 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 45.00%.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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