Banque Pictet & Cie SA Trims Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Banque Pictet & Cie SA decreased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 6.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 281,893 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 19,166 shares during the quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA owned approximately 0.06% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $52,297,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9,455.4% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,520,164 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $282,021,000 after acquiring an additional 1,504,255 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,363,706 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,091,478 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,041,386,000 after purchasing an additional 1,260,434 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 654.7% during the third quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,419,104 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $285,992,000 after buying an additional 1,231,059 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 29.7% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,293,188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $663,676,000 after buying an additional 753,828 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total value of $3,052,861.50. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRSH has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup increased their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Evercore dropped their price objective on 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. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $212.06.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MRSH opened at $171.96 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.40, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $176.05. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $164.89 and a 1 year high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.15. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. The company had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.52 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.87 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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