Phoenix Financial Ltd. Decreases Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Phoenix Financial Ltd. reduced its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 21.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,437 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,484 shares during the period. Phoenix Financial Ltd.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $3,049,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRSH. Numerai GP LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 966.2% during the third quarter. Numerai GP LLC now owns 37,220 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,501,000 after purchasing an additional 33,729 shares during the period. Rockland Trust Co. raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 801.6% during the third quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 12,073 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,433,000 after purchasing an additional 10,734 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 134,542 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $24,960,000 after purchasing an additional 11,648 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 41.7% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,202,372 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $443,844,000 after purchasing an additional 647,987 shares during the period. Finally, Navera Investment Management Ltd. raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.0% during the third quarter. Navera Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,623,960 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $327,303,000 after purchasing an additional 105,954 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total value of $3,052,861.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,411,456.30. This represents a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MRSH. Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Mizuho cut their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $193.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised 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 note on Tuesday, February 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $205.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Marsh & McLennan Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs issued a positive report on Marsh & McLennan, reinforcing constructive Wall Street sentiment toward the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst estimates and ratings data show a generally optimistic stance on MRSH, despite its underperformance over the past 52 weeks. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent earnings were better than expected, with quarterly EPS of $3.29 beating consensus and revenue rising 7.6% year over year, which may help provide support but is not a new catalyst.
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock has underperformed the broader market over the past year, which may limit enthusiasm even as analysts stay upbeat.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MRSH opened at $161.07 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $77.60 billion, a PE ratio of 20.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.65. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $169.60. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $158.16 and a one year high of $235.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.21 by $0.08. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.87% and a net margin of 14.26%.The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion for the quarter. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th were paid a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 45.00%.

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.