Alliancebernstein L.P. Sells 87,962 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Alliancebernstein L.P. lowered its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 6.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,191,361 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 87,962 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 0.24% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $240,095,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth about $1,328,587,000. Soundwatch Capital LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $560,820,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 212.6% during the 2nd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,285,194 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $499,635,000 after buying an additional 1,554,114 shares during the period. Amundi increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 89.2% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,892,576 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $615,309,000 after acquiring an additional 1,363,706 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.1% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,091,478 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,041,386,000 after acquiring an additional 1,260,434 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRSH has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Evercore cut their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, January 29th. They set a “hold (c)” rating on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $216.12.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MRSH stock opened at $172.18 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.74. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $170.37 and a 1-year high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.87 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 42.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the 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 owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.