Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Stock Holdings Lowered by Bell Asset Management Ltd

Key Points

• Bell Asset Management cut its Marsh & McLennan holdings by 46.6% in the third quarter, selling 14,179 shares and retaining 16,241 shares valued at approximately $2.77 million. Institutional investors collectively own 87.99% of the company.
• Company insiders sold 19,813 shares worth about $3.6 million over the past three months, while insider ownership remains low at 0.38%.
• Marsh & McLennan exceeded quarterly earnings expectations with $2.96 in EPS versus a $2.89 estimate and revenue of $7.28 billion. Analysts’ consensus rating is Hold, with an average price target of $202.12, compared with a share price of $176.54.

Bell Asset Management Ltd cut its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 46.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,241 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 14,179 shares during the quarter. Bell Asset Management Ltd's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $2,773,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Solstein Capital LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. SHP Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Canton Hathaway LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, Director Lloyd Yates sold 12,000 shares of the firm'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 sale, the director directly owned 12,001 shares in the company, valued at $2,107,975.65. This trade represents a 50.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total transaction of $1,348,929.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,159,913.68. This represents a 29.92% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 19,813 shares of company stock valued at $3,597,903 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE MRSH opened at $176.54 on Friday. 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 firm's fifty day moving average is $182.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.58, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 0.59. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $156.60 and a fifty-two week high of $207.82.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.07. The firm 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is currently 48.41%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. UBS Group upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $216.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Mizuho cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $190.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald increased 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $202.12.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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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