Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Takes Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Key Points

• Jefferies bought a new stake of 10,725 shares in Marsh & McLennan (NYSE:MRSH) in Q3, valued at about $2.16 million, and institutional investors now own roughly 87.99% of the stock.
• Quarterly results beat expectations: Marsh & McLennan reported $2.12 EPS vs. $1.97 expected and $6.60 billion in revenue (up 8.7% year-over-year), with a 31.6% ROE and 15.42% net margin.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share (annualized $3.60) with a yield of about 2.1%, payable May 15 and ex-dividend date April 9.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 10,725 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,161,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MRSH. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth $29,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at $32,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 31.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 214 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE MRSH opened at $173.93 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $170.37 and a twelve month high of $248.00. The stock has a market cap of $84.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.74.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on MRSH shares. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Raymond James Financial raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $225.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $216.18.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 shares were sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company's stock, 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 SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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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