Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Stock Sold by Fifth Third Bancorp

Fifth Third Bancorp lessened its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 10.9% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 166,767 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 20,338 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $28,472,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MRSH. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 9,612 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,701,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.9% in the third quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,938 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $502,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 32.2% during the third quarter. Joseph Group Capital Management now owns 226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 37.7% in the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 219 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TOWER TRUST & INVESTMENT Co boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.6% during the 3rd quarter. TOWER TRUST & INVESTMENT Co now owns 891 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $152,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of MRSH stock opened at $207.46 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $98.65 billion, a PE ratio of 19.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.53. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $156.60 and a 12 month high of $214.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $185.49.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 33.32% and a net margin of 14.20%. The business had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 1st were issued a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 1st. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.37%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MRSH. Evercore dropped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $234.00 to $224.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, November 4th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $191.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $193.00 to $188.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $206.79.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,215 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Friday, October 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $243,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 2,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $541,000. This trade represents a 30.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 firm’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 $838,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 20,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,187,000. This trade represents a 16.69% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.38% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies, now known as Marsh, is a professional services firm focused on risk, strategy and people. Its businesses help organizations assess and manage risk, arrange insurance and reinsurance, and address workforce and organizational challenges. The company operates through Marsh, an insurance brokerage and risk advisory business; Guy Carpenter, which specializes in reinsurance and related risk services; Mercer, which provides health, wealth and career consulting; and Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm.