Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Sells 811,902 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Key Points

• Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA reduced its stake in Marsh & McLennan by 8.6% in Q4, selling 811,902 shares and leaving it with 8,662,457 shares worth about $1.607 billion (≈1.77% ownership).
• CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares on March 4 at an average price of $183.30 for roughly $3.05 million, a 12.48% cut to his personal holding; corporate insiders own about 0.35% of the stock.

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lessened its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 8.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,662,457 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 811,902 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned about 1.77% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $1,607,059,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 approximately $21,411,456.30. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on MRSH. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Citigroup upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $206.00 to $200.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Mizuho reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $199.00 price target (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Friday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $206.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of MRSH opened at $168.09 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $173.28. The stock has a market cap of $81.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $164.89 and a 12 month high of $239.34.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $6.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.52 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.60% and a net margin of 15.42%.The company's revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.87 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.

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