Formuepleje A S Lowers Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Key Points

• Formuepleje A S reduced its Marsh & McLennan position by 14.6% in the second quarter, selling 8,025 shares and retaining 46,902 shares valued at approximately $7.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 87.99% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly cautious, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $203.50; individual targets range from $200 to $216.
• Marsh & McLennan exceeded quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $2.96 in EPS and $7.28 billion in revenue, while increasing its quarterly dividend to $0.99 per share, or $3.96 annually.

Formuepleje A S cut its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 14.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 46,902 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 8,025 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises 0.6% of Formuepleje A S's portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Formuepleje A S's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $7,817,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,153,000. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 134,542 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $24,960,000 after acquiring an additional 11,648 shares during the last quarter. Daiichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at $3,880,000. Bank of Nova Scotia bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter worth $20,681,000. Finally, Korea Investment CORP purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at $46,856,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRSH has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Citigroup cut shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $203.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MRSH opened at $185.80 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm's fifty day moving average is $185.10. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $156.60 and a 1-year high of $207.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.71, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.58.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.The company had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 23rd were given a dividend of $0.99 per share. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 23rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is presently 48.41%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total value of $141,174.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 16,376 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,242,448. The trade was a 4.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total value of $1,348,929.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 16,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,159,913.68. This trade represents a 29.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 19,813 shares of company stock valued at $3,597,903. 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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