Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Position Cut by CX Institutional

Key Points

• CX Institutional cut its Marsh & McLennan stake by 85.6% in the third quarter, selling 48,400 shares and retaining 8,134 shares valued at approximately $1.39 million.
• Insiders sold 19,813 shares worth roughly $3.6 million over the past 90 days, while institutional investors collectively own 87.99% of MRSH.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $203.69; the company also reported quarterly earnings above estimates and declared a $0.99 quarterly dividend, yielding about 2.3% annually.

CX Institutional decreased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 85.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,134 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 48,400 shares during the quarter. CX Institutional's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,389,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Solstein Capital LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. SHP Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Canton Hathaway LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total value of $1,348,929.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 16,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,159,913.68. The trade was a 29.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Lloyd M. Yates sold 12,000 shares of the 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 approximately $2,107,975.65. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 19,813 shares of company stock valued at $3,597,903. 0.38% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MRSH. UBS Group boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Mizuho raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $203.69.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of MRSH stock opened at $170.25 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $156.60 and a 52-week high of $207.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market cap of $81.25 billion, a PE ratio of 20.81, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a 50-day moving average of $183.96.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.67% and a net margin of 14.24%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st will be paid a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is currently 48.41%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies, now operating under the name Marsh McLennan, is a global professional services firm that provides advice and solutions in risk, strategy and people. The company serves businesses, governments and institutions through four principal businesses: Marsh, Guy Carpenter, Mercer and Oliver Wyman.

Marsh is an insurance brokerage and risk adviser that helps clients identify, manage and transfer risk. Guy Carpenter provides reinsurance brokerage and advisory services to insurance companies.

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