Rathbones Group PLC Has $247.14 Million Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Key Points

• Rathbones Group PLC boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holding to 1,332,148 shares worth about $247.14 million. The position now represents roughly 1.0% of Rathbones’ portfolio and 0.27% of Marsh & McLennan’s outstanding stock.
• Wall Street sentiment is mixed, with analysts issuing a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $205. Recent moves included price-target cuts from Barclays, Bank of America, and JPMorgan, while Raymond James upgraded the stock to strong-buy.
• Marsh & McLennan reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $3.29 per share on revenue of $7.30 billion, and it also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share for an annualized yield of about 2.2%.

Rathbones Group PLC increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH - Free Report) by 5.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,332,148 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 67,901 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up about 1.0% of Rathbones Group PLC's holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Rathbones Group PLC owned 0.27% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $247,140,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on MRSH. Barclays reduced their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings cut Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $225.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $205.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. This trade represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.38% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.2%

MRSH stock opened at $163.66 on Thursday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $158.16 and a twelve month high of $235.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $168.84. The company has a market capitalization of $78.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.46, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.65.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

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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