Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Key Points

• Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. raised its position in Marsh & McLennan by 19.7% in Q4 to 114,498 shares, worth about $21.24 million after buying an additional 18,845 shares.
• CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares on March 4 for roughly $3.05 million, cutting his ownership by 12.48% (insiders own 0.38% of the stock).
• Several brokerages recently lowered targets and the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $205.60 (coverage: 1 Strong Buy, 5 Buy, 10 Hold, 1 Sell).

Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 19.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 114,498 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 18,845 shares during the quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $21,242,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Palouse Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 35.0% in the fourth quarter. Palouse Capital Management Inc. now owns 12,857 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,385,000 after buying an additional 3,332 shares during the last quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 1,449 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $269,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,989 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $740,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Bouvel Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Bouvel Investment Partners LLC now owns 13,651 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,533,000 after buying an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,911 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,078,000 after buying an additional 454 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MRSH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Barclays lowered their target price on 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. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Evercore lowered their price target on 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 analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $205.60.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of MRSH stock opened at $173.47 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.75. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $173.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $164.89 and a 12-month high of $239.34.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $6.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.52 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.60% and a net margin of 15.42%.Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.87 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 42.70%.

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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