Moody National Bank Trust Division Cuts Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Moody National Bank Trust Division cut its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 29.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,574 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,644 shares during the period. Moody National Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,591,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 31.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 214 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 4,514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $910,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,279 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $423,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.7% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. now owns 949 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $207,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lindenwold Advisors INC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.4% during the third quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC now owns 14,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,022,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.1%

MRSH opened at $173.01 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $177.30. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $164.89 and a 12-month high of $248.00. The firm has a market cap of $83.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.74. 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 released its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.52 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.60% and a net margin of 15.42%.Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue was up 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.87 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 42.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MRSH. Evercore cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $236.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Raymond James Financial upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed 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. Barclays cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $209.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $212.06.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.