Alliancebernstein L.P. Cuts Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Alliancebernstein L.P. trimmed its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 6.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,191,361 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 87,962 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned about 0.24% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $240,095,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter worth $32,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total value of $3,052,861.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MRSH shares. Mizuho reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $199.00 target price (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Friday, February 27th. Raymond James Financial upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Weiss Ratings assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. They set a “hold (c)” rating on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $216.12.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MRSH stock opened at $172.18 on Monday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $170.37 and a 12-month high of $248.00. The company has a market cap of $83.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.42, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.74. 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 (NYSE:MRSH) last released its 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.87 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.