Lloyd Yates Sells 12,000 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Stock

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) Director Lloyd Yates sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total transaction of $2,107,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 12,001 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,107,975.65. The trade was a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 2.8%

NYSE:MRSH opened at $197.56 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $156.60 and a twelve month high of $213.80. The stock has a market cap of $94.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.15, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.61. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $172.40.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $7.28 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.24% and a return on equity of 32.67%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be paid a $0.99 dividend. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 23rd. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.41%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on MRSH shares. Barclays cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $201.94.

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 134,542 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $24,960,000 after acquiring an additional 11,648 shares in the last quarter. Essex LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $2,891,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 20.6% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 88,934 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,499,000 after purchasing an additional 15,166 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,589,633 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,643,309,000 after purchasing an additional 387,100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 26.6% in the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 35,293 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,549,000 after purchasing an additional 7,418 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.