Conning Inc. Sells 2,850 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Conning Inc. lessened its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 10.1% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 25,484 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,850 shares during the quarter. Conning Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $4,351,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 67,364 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,501,000 after buying an additional 3,692 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 220,422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $37,633,000 after acquiring an additional 2,557 shares during the last quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 66.5% in the 3rd quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp now owns 2,309 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $394,000 after acquiring an additional 922 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 43.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 16,107 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,755,000 after acquiring an additional 4,846 shares during the period. Finally, Cahaba Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter valued at $202,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MRSH. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $216.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $179.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 1st. Erste Group Bank upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $183.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Evercore cut their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $234.00 to $224.00 in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $204.42.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MRSH stock opened at $192.08 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $91.34 billion, a PE ratio of 22.98, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.59. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $182.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.09 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $156.60 and a one year high of $200.32.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $6.86 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.20% and a return on equity of 33.32%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $0.99 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 1st. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 47.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies 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 approximately $541,000. This represents a 30.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $838,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,187,000. The trade was a 16.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 owned by company insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.