Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Stock Sold by Mawer Investment Management Ltd.

Mawer Investment Management Ltd. decreased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 11.7% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,651,661 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 219,498 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for approximately 2.1% of Mawer Investment Management Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Mawer Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $281,988,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Advisory LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.1% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 1,885 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $322,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Grp LLC boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Grp LLC now owns 1,607 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 7,912 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,319,000 after buying an additional 598 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $611,000. Finally, King Luther Capital Management Corp boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 34,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,975,000 after acquiring an additional 568 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,215 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $243,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 2,705 shares in the company, valued at $541,000. This trade represents a 30.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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 on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $838,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,187,000. The trade was a 16.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of MRSH traded up $1.77 during trading on Friday, reaching $207.46. 1,823,985 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,267,589. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $156.60 and a twelve month high of $214.00. The firm has a market cap of $98.65 billion, a PE ratio of 24.82, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.53. The business’s 50-day moving average is $185.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released 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 business had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on MRSH shares. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $204.00 to $230.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $215.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 20th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Evercore dropped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $234.00 to $224.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $191.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $206.79.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies, now known as Marsh, is a professional services firm focused on risk, strategy and people. Its businesses help organizations assess and manage risk, arrange insurance and reinsurance, and address workforce and organizational challenges. The company operates through Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory business; Guy Carpenter, which specializes in reinsurance and related risk services; Mercer, which provides health, wealth and career consulting; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm.