Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA Buys New Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 9,834 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,982,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MRSH. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 31.3% during the third quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 214 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 4,514 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $910,000 after buying an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Co. now owns 949 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $207,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 3,663 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $736,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.0% in the third quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $448,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on MRSH. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, January 29th. They set a “hold (c)” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $203.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Friday, January 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $242.00 to $226.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $216.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MRSH opened at $173.95 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.74. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $170.37 and a 1-year high of $248.00.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 9th will be paid a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 9th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.70%.

Key Marsh & McLennan Companies News

Here are the key news stories impacting Marsh & McLennan Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights MRSH as a strong growth stock, pointing to favorable style scores and the company’s recent earnings/operational metrics that support a growth narrative for investors. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Marsh (the brokerage unit of MRSH) named Nick Studer as CEO of Marsh Risk — a management appointment that could accelerate product, underwriting and go-to-market execution at the core broking unit if it boosts revenue or margin initiatives. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent Q4 results (Jan 29) showed an EPS beat and mid-single-digit revenue growth year-over-year, which underpins analyst expectations for continued profitability and supports the stock’s longer-term upside. (Earnings release / company report)
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays trimmed its price target slightly from $210 to $209 but kept an Overweight rating — a marginal downgrade in target but the analyst stance remains constructive, implying continued upside from current levels. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market headlines grouped MRSH with other names whose shares were falling intraday, reflecting broader sector or market pressure rather than company-specific negative news — this is weighing on the stock in the short term. Read More.

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.