Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Position Boosted by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Key Points

• HSBC increased its Marsh & McLennan stake by 3.7% in the second quarter to 1.02 million shares valued at approximately $170.4 million. Institutional investors collectively own 87.99% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with the stock carrying a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $203.50. Recent actions included downgrades from Piper Sandler and Citigroup, alongside a higher target from Cantor Fitzgerald.
• Marsh & McLennan reported quarterly earnings of $2.96 per share, topping estimates, while revenue rose 6.2% year over year to $7.28 billion. The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.99, implying a 2.0% annual yield.

Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,022,077 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 36,397 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned approximately 0.21% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $170,412,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Solstein Capital LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total transaction of $2,107,800.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 12,001 shares in the company, valued at $2,107,975.65. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the company'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 directly owned 16,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,242,448. The trade was a 4.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 36,469 shares of company stock worth $6,291,345. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MRSH. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Citigroup downgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $203.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of MRSH stock opened at $193.59 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 0.59. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $156.60 and a 1-year high of $207.82. 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 company's fifty day simple moving average is $180.99.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $7.28 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 23rd were given a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 23rd. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is currently 48.41%.

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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