Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Position Reduced by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC decreased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 4.8% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 105,869 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 5,368 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $18,075,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRSH. Vise Technologies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 20,727 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,539,000 after purchasing an additional 1,459 shares in the last quarter. Investment Partners LTD. lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 100.2% during the third quarter. Investment Partners LTD. now owns 3,320 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $567,000 after purchasing an additional 1,662 shares in the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter valued at about $294,000. Aprio Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 136.2% in the 3rd quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,621 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $618,000 after acquiring an additional 2,088 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avestar Capital LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $262,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRSH has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $179.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised Marsh & McLennan Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have 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 $204.42.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MRSH opened at $205.66 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.80 billion, a PE ratio of 18.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.59. The company’s fifty day moving average is $182.64. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $156.60 and a fifty-two week high of $206.49.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.20% and a return on equity of 33.32%. The business had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st will be given a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 47.37%.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,215 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $243,000.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 2,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $541,000. This represents a 30.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Dean Klisura sold 4,194 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $838,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,187,000. The trade was a 16.69% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies is a global professional services firm that provides advice and solutions in risk, strategy and people. The company serves businesses, governments and institutions through a portfolio of specialized businesses focused on insurance brokerage, reinsurance, consulting and talent management.

Its principal businesses include Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory firm; Guy Carpenter, a provider of reinsurance brokerage and related risk-management services; Mercer, which offers consulting in investment, retirement, health and workforce strategy; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm serving clients across industries and regions.

Founded in 1905, Marsh & McLennan serves clients in countries and markets around the world.