Ascent Group LLC Has $2.72 Million Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Ascent Group LLC lessened its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 21.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,661 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,985 shares during the quarter. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $2,720,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth about $29,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the business’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 transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MRSH. Evercore cut their price objective 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. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $209.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $212.06.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MRSH stock opened at $174.49 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.47 billion, a PE ratio of 20.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $175.70. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $164.89 and a one year high of $248.00. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share (EPS) 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.87 EPS. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

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

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.