BNP Paribas Financial Markets Buys New Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MRSH

BNP Paribas Financial Markets bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MRSH) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,440,549 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $267,251,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 2,279 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $423,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $326,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.4% in the third quarter. Lindenwold Advisors INC now owns 14,994 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,022,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,673 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.5% in the third quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 1,226 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE:MRSH opened at $159.73 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.17 billion, a PE ratio of 19.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $164.87 and a 200-day moving average of $172.02. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $157.74 and a 52 week high of $235.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MRSH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.21 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.87% and a net margin of 14.26%.The company’s revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 10.38 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MRSH. Bank of America dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $181.00 to $174.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $199.00 to $193.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. Weiss Ratings lowered Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $203.56.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 16,655 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.30, for a total transaction of $3,052,861.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 116,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,411,456.30. The trade was a 12.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.38% of the company’s stock.

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.