Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Stock: ProShare Advisors LLC Lowers Stake

ProShare Advisors LLC lowered its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 105,869 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 5,368 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $18,075,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MRSH. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at $6,583,806,000. Ninety One UK Ltd boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 41.8% during the 3rd quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 5,632,700 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $961,671,000 after buying an additional 1,661,178 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter worth $685,621,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 25.3% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,454,586 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $599,198,000 after acquiring an additional 697,541 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at about $575,845,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,215 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $243,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 2,705 shares in the company, valued at approximately $541,000. This trade represents a 30.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Dean Klisura sold 4,194 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $838,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,187,000. This trade represents a 16.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on MRSH shares. Evercore dropped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $234.00 to $224.00 in a report on Thursday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $191.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Citigroup increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $183.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have issued 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 $204.42.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE:MRSH opened at $205.66 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $182.64. The stock has a market cap of $97.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.49, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.59. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $156.60 and a 1-year high of $206.49.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.20% and a return on equity of 33.32%. The company had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.37%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies is a global professional services firm that provides advice and solutions in risk, strategy and people. The company serves businesses, governments and institutions through a portfolio of specialized businesses focused on insurance brokerage, reinsurance, consulting and talent management.

Its principal businesses include Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory firm; Guy Carpenter, a provider of reinsurance brokerage and related risk-management services; Mercer, which offers consulting in investment, retirement, health and workforce strategy; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm serving clients across industries and regions.

Founded in 1905, Marsh & McLennan serves clients in countries and markets around the world.