Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH Stock: Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. Decreases Stake

Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. decreased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,436,242 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 137,648 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises about 1.9% of Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $245,209,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,215 shares of the 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 transaction, the vice president owned 2,705 shares in the company, valued at $541,000. This trade represents a 30.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 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 value of $838,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,187,000. This 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. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:MRSH opened at $204.59 on Tuesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $156.60 and a 12-month high of $214.00. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $184.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The company has a market capitalization of $97.29 billion, a PE ratio of 24.47, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.53.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.86 billion for the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 33.32% and a net margin of 14.20%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.49 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, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 1st will be issued a $0.99 dividend. This represents a $3.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 1st. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.37%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on MRSH shares. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Evercore lowered their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $234.00 to $224.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, October 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $204.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $205.84.

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.