Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Shares Sold by Stokes Capital Advisors LLC

Stokes Capital Advisors LLC lowered its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 9.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 38,452 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,139 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for about 1.6% of Stokes Capital Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $7,134,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRSH. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth about $29,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. They issued a “hold (c)” rating for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $212.06.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MRSH stock opened at $173.92 on Thursday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $164.89 and a 1 year high of $248.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.63, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $176.71.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

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.