Sterling Capital Management LLC Sells 15,325 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Sterling Capital Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 8.3% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 168,280 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 15,325 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $28,730,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter worth $6,583,806,000. Corient Private Wealth LP bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $66,475,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth $685,621,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at $575,845,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter worth about $532,438,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE MRSH traded down $1.56 during trading on Friday, reaching $197.71. 2,241,642 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,699,994. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $156.60 and a 12-month high of $200.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market cap of $94.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $181.60.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share 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 firm’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $0.99 per share. This represents a $3.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on MRSH. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $216.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target 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. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $191.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $215.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $204.42.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total value of $141,174.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 16,376 shares in the company, valued at $3,242,448. The trade was a 4.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Martin South sold 7,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.99, for a total transaction of $1,348,929.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 16,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,159,913.68. The trade was a 29.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.