Calamos Wealth Management LLC Sells 52,472 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Key Points

• Calamos Wealth Management trimmed its stake in Marsh & McLennan by 96.0%, selling 52,472 shares and leaving just 2,203 shares worth about $409,000 at quarter-end.
• Analysts' views are mixed but the consensus is a Hold with an average price target of $205.33, and several brokerages recently pared their targets and/or ratings.
• Marsh & McLennan reported an earnings beat of $3.29 EPS vs. $3.21 expected with revenue of $7.30B (up 7.6%), announced a $0.90 quarterly dividend (2.1% yield), and its stock is trading around $170.

Calamos Wealth Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 96.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,203 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 52,472 shares during the quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $409,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Numerai GP LLC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 966.2% during the third quarter. Numerai GP LLC now owns 37,220 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,501,000 after purchasing an additional 33,729 shares in the last quarter. Rockland Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 801.6% during the third quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 12,073 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,433,000 after purchasing an additional 10,734 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 41.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,202,372 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $443,844,000 after purchasing an additional 647,987 shares in the last quarter. Navera Investment Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.0% during the third quarter. Navera Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,623,960 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $327,303,000 after purchasing an additional 105,954 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.4% during the third quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 76,196 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $15,356,000 after buying an additional 3,177 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on MRSH. Bank of America lowered their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective 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. Weiss Ratings began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. They issued a "hold (c)" rating on the stock. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Evercore lowered their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $205.33.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 2.2%

MRSH opened at $170.13 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $174.01. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $164.89 and a twelve month high of $235.78.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.08. The firm 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 revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.36 earnings per share 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 paid a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were 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 owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $21,411,456.30. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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