Bridgefront Capital LLC Makes New Investment in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Bridgefront Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 5,763 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,161,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MRSH. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at about $32,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MRSH shares. Evercore reduced their price target on 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. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $200.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Friday, January 30th. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $199.00 price target (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $216.12.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MRSH opened at $172.18 on Friday. 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 company has a market cap of $83.36 billion, a PE ratio of 20.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.74. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $170.37 and a 52-week high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.52 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.60% and a net margin of 15.42%.The firm’s revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.87 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

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

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.