Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Raises Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Key Points

• Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI more than doubled its stake in Marsh & McLennan during Q4, buying an additional 6,379 shares and bringing its total holdings to 12,038 shares worth about $2.23 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with hedge funds and other institutional investors holding 87.99% of the company’s stock, and several other firms also increased their positions recently.
• Fundamentals and sentiment are mixed but generally constructive: the company beat quarterly EPS estimates and grew revenue 7.6% year over year, while analysts’ consensus remains “Hold” with an average price target of $205.

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 112.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,038 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 6,379 shares during the quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $2,233,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRSH. Conning Inc. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 17.0% in the fourth quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 23,938 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,441,000 after acquiring an additional 3,476 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $239,000. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 10,933 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,028,000 after acquiring an additional 734 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 17.8% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 6,050 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,122,000 after acquiring an additional 916 shares during the period. Finally, Navalign LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% 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: Goldman Sachs issued a positive report on Marsh & McLennan, reinforcing constructive Wall Street sentiment toward the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst estimates and ratings data show a generally optimistic stance on MRSH, despite its underperformance over the past 52 weeks. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent earnings were better than expected, with quarterly EPS of $3.29 beating consensus and revenue rising 7.6% year over year, which may help provide support but is not a new catalyst.
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock has underperformed the broader market over the past year, which may limit enthusiasm even as analysts stay upbeat.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Citigroup raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $193.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $205.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the business'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 sale, the chief executive officer 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE:MRSH opened at $161.07 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $158.16 and a one year high of $235.78. 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 business's 50-day simple moving average is $169.60. The company has a market capitalization of $77.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.65.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.08. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 31.87%. The business had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies's quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th were paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is presently 45.00%.

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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