Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Shares Down 6% – Here’s What Happened

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) shares traded down 6% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $180.97 and last traded at $173.8620. 3,040,356 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 2% from the average session volume of 3,099,796 shares. The stock had previously closed at $185.00.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MRSH shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Evercore reduced their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. They set a “hold (c)” rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $216.12.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $177.91. 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 stock has a market cap of $84.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.62, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.74.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its quarterly 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 return on equity of 31.60% and a net margin of 15.42%.The business had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.87 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MRSH. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,856,000 after purchasing an additional 2,960 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 39.6% in the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 3,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $651,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares in the last quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at $263,000. MAI Capital Management lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 11.4% during the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 8,217 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,797,000 after buying an additional 838 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,901,598 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $634,405,000 after buying an additional 43,462 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.