Paul Beswick Sells 713 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) Stock

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) SVP Paul Beswick sold 713 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.00, for a total transaction of $141,174.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 16,376 shares in the company, valued at $3,242,448. This represents a 4.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MRSH stock traded down $1.62 during trading on Friday, reaching $189.89. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,532,173 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,959,132. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $156.60 and a 1-year high of $213.80. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $172.84. The firm has a market cap of $90.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $7.28 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 14.24% and a return on equity of 32.67%. The company’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 23rd will be issued a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 23rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.41%.

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in MRSH. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Solstein Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays reduced their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $206.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Citigroup cut shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $200.00 price target for the company. in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. One 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $201.94.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.