Norges Bank Invests $1.56 Billion in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 8,386,530 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,555,869,000. Norges Bank owned about 1.71% of Marsh & McLennan Companies as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MRSH. City Holding Co. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.38% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on MRSH. Mizuho dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $193.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Raymond James Financial upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $200.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $203.56.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MRSH opened at $159.73 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $157.74 and a 1 year high of $235.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company has a market capitalization of $77.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.65. The business has a 50-day moving average of $164.87 and a 200-day moving average of $172.25.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.38 earnings per share for the current year.

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.