Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Shares Sold by Aberdeen Group plc

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group trimmed its stake in Marsh & McLennan by 1.7% in Q4, selling 6,954 shares and leaving it with 403,265 shares worth about $74.8 million (≈0.08% of the company).
• CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares on March 4 at an average price of $183.30 for proceeds of $3.05 million, reducing his holding by 12.48% to 116,811 shares.
• Marsh & McLennan beat Q4 estimates with $2.12 EPS (vs. $1.97 consensus) and $6.60 billion revenue (up 8.7% y/y), and announced a $0.90 quarterly dividend (annualized $3.60, yield ~2.1%).

Aberdeen Group plc trimmed its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 403,265 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 6,954 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned about 0.08% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $74,814,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total value of $3,052,861.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on MRSH shares. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Mizuho restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $199.00 price target (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Evercore reduced their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on 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. One equities 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $212.06.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $174.49 on Friday. 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 1-year low of $164.89 and a 1-year high of $248.00. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $175.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.70, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.75.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.