Orange Investment Advisors Inc. Has $6.07 Million Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Key Points

• Orange Investment Advisors cut its Marsh & McLennan stake by 30.5% in the fourth quarter, ending with 32,697 shares valued at about $6.07 million.
• Wall Street sentiment on MRSH remains mixed, with analysts assigning an average "Hold" rating and an average price target of $205 despite several recent target-price cuts.
• Marsh & McLennan recently beat earnings estimates for the quarter, reporting $3.29 EPS on $7.30 billion in revenue, while also paying a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share.

Orange Investment Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 30.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 32,697 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 14,375 shares during the period. Orange Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $6,066,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MRSH. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. City Holding Co. bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on MRSH shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $205.00.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $165.17 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $168.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $158.16 and a 1 year high of $235.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.65.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 31.87%. The company had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter. The company's revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.37 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th were paid a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.00%.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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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