Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA Lowers Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA reduced its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 35.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,678 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 14,080 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $4,764,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth about $29,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on MRSH. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $209.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $216.12.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $176.00 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $85.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $164.89 and a fifty-two week high of $248.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $178.29.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.70%.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.