Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Stake Trimmed by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 25.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 373,868 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 125,687 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.08% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $63,814,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MRSH. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $611,000. King Luther Capital Management Corp grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.6% in the third quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 34,994 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,975,000 after acquiring an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 15.0% in the third quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 29,876 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,101,000 after acquiring an additional 3,894 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 21.7% during the third quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 12,483 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,131,000 after acquiring an additional 2,230 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 11.7% during the third quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC now owns 2,416 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $412,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on MRSH shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, November 4th. Erste Group Bank upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. BMO Capital Markets raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the company from $204.00 to $230.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $215.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $183.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $206.79.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.9%

MRSH traded up $1.77 on Friday, hitting $207.46. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,823,985 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,267,589. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $156.60 and a 12 month high of $214.00. The stock has a market cap of $98.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $185.49.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.20% and a return on equity of 33.32%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st were paid a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.37%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,215 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $243,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 2,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $541,000. This trade represents a 30.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Dean Klisura sold 4,194 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $838,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 20,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,187,000. This trade represents a 16.69% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies, now known as Marsh, is a professional services firm focused on risk, strategy and people. Its businesses help organizations assess and manage risk, arrange insurance and reinsurance, and address workforce and organizational challenges. The company operates through Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory business; Guy Carpenter, which specializes in reinsurance and related risk services; Mercer, which provides health, wealth and career consulting; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm.

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