Kentucky Retirement Systems Acquires New Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Kentucky Retirement Systems acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 30,987 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $5,749,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. City Holding Co. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on MRSH. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of 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. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of 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. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $193.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $203.56.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total value of $3,052,861.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly 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 SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRSH opened at $159.73 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $164.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.17 billion, a PE ratio of 19.97, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.62. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $157.74 and a 1 year high of $235.78.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced 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. The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.26% and a return on equity of 31.87%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.38 EPS for the current year.

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.