Brentview Investment Management LLC Buys New Shares in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Key Points

• Brentview Investment Management opened a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, buying 18,363 shares valued at about $3.4 million in the fourth quarter.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with hedge funds and other investors holding 87.99% of the stock; several large firms, including Vanguard and Wellington, also added shares recently.
• Analysts are mixed on MRSH, but the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $203.56. The company recently beat quarterly EPS estimates, reporting $3.29 per share on $7.3 billion in revenue.

Brentview Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 18,363 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,407,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,589,633 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $8,643,309,000 after purchasing an additional 387,100 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.4% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 21,538,014 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,340,556,000 after purchasing an additional 96,436 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 18,590,697 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,745,889,000 after purchasing an additional 221,033 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.5% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,702,898 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,567,410,000 after purchasing an additional 92,767 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 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. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on MRSH. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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. 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. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $203.56.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRSH opened at $159.73 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.17 billion, a PE ratio of 19.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.62. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $157.74 and a 1-year high of $235.78. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $164.87. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. The company 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%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.38 EPS for the current fiscal 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.

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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