Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Stock Sold by Boston Trust Walden Corp

Key Points

• Boston Trust Walden cut its Marsh & McLennan stake by 9.5% in the third quarter, selling 10,572 shares and retaining 100,724 shares valued at about $17.2 million. Other institutional investors made mixed changes; institutions and hedge funds own nearly 88% of the stock.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: the consensus rating is Hold, with a consensus price target of $205.84. Recent firms raised targets and issued positive ratings, while the overall analyst mix includes two Strong Buys, seven Buys, nine Holds and two Sells.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $2.03, above the $1.96 consensus, while revenue rose 8.1% year over year to $6.86 billion. It also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.99 per share, equivalent to a 1.9% annualized yield.

Boston Trust Walden Corp trimmed its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 9.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 100,724 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 10,572 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $17,197,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Ascent Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 20.7% in the 3rd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 11,419 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,950,000 after purchasing an additional 1,962 shares during the last quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $209,000. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.1% in the third quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. now owns 85,952 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $14,648,000 after acquiring an additional 7,149 shares during the last quarter. AIA Group Ltd purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter valued at about $371,000. Finally, Third View Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the third quarter. Third View Private Wealth LLC now owns 32,252 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,506,000 after acquiring an additional 263 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRSH has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $216.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $215.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Erste Group Bank raised Marsh & McLennan Companies to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $179.00 to $178.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Two investment 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 a consensus target price of $205.84.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Dean Klisura sold 4,194 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $838,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 20,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,187,000. This trade represents a 16.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,215 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,705 shares in the company, valued at $541,000. This represents a 30.99% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of MRSH opened at $209.63 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $156.60 and a 52 week high of $214.00. 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 firm has a market cap of $99.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $183.48.

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 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.20% and a return on equity of 33.32%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

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

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies is a global professional services firm that provides advice and solutions in risk, strategy and people. The company serves businesses, governments and institutions through a portfolio of specialized businesses focused on insurance brokerage, reinsurance, consulting and talent management.

Its principal businesses include Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory firm; Guy Carpenter, a provider of reinsurance brokerage and related risk-management services; Mercer, which offers consulting in investment, retirement, health and workforce strategy; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm serving clients across industries and regions.

Founded in 1905, Marsh & McLennan serves clients in countries and markets around the world.

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