Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, FiscalAI reports. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.24% and a return on equity of 32.67%. The company had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.8%

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $178.43 on Thursday. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 1-year low of $156.60 and a 1-year high of $206.04. The stock has a market cap of $85.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $181.35.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 1st will be issued a $0.99 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.41%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $190.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target 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. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $180.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $202.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $202.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, Director Lloyd Yates sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.65, for a total transaction of $2,107,800.00. Following the sale, the director owned 12,001 shares in the company, valued at $2,107,975.65. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total value of $141,174.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 16,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,242,448. The trade was a 4.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 19,813 shares of company stock worth $3,597,903 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Canton Hathaway LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Bayban bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies, now operating under the name Marsh McLennan, is a global professional services firm that provides advice and solutions in risk, strategy and people. The company serves businesses, governments and institutions through four principal businesses: Marsh, Guy Carpenter, Mercer and Oliver Wyman.

Marsh is an insurance brokerage and risk adviser that helps clients identify, manage and transfer risk. Guy Carpenter provides reinsurance brokerage and advisory services to insurance companies.