Brevan Howard Capital Management LP Cuts Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Brevan Howard Capital Management LP lowered its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 30.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 31,508 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 14,107 shares during the quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $6,350,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CSM Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,180,000. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.6% during the third quarter. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 294,316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $59,314,000 after purchasing an additional 7,449 shares in the last quarter. Capitolis Liquid Global Markets LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at $6,006,000. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 24.7% during the 3rd quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 4,607 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $928,000 after purchasing an additional 913 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 18.0% during the 3rd quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 25,604 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,159,000 after buying an additional 3,906 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of MRSH stock opened at $172.18 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $83.36 billion, a PE ratio of 20.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.74. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $170.37 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.87 earnings per share. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies 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 in the company, valued at $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MRSH shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Barclays cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $209.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and set a $199.00 price objective (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $216.12.

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.