Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Stake Lowered by Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.

Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. reduced its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 133,179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,314 shares during the period. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $24,707,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MRSH. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter worth $32,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Mizuho reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $199.00 target price (down from $213.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $195.00 to $190.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and set a $225.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $211.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:MRSH opened at $174.98 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $164.89 and a 1 year high of $239.34. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $175.26. The firm has a market cap of $84.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.76, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.75.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $2.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.15. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.42% and a return on equity of 31.60%. The firm had revenue of $6.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.87 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 9th will be issued a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 42.70%.

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.