Framework Journal · one stock, one dated entry

Recorded 2026-08-05 · Permanent

Marsh McLennan MRSH

Outside both standards

An entry written while the outcome is still unknown. It will be scored by what the market does next, and it will never be edited to look cleverer than it was.

In plain words · Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., a professional services company, provides advisory services and insurance solutions to clients in the areas of risk, strategy, and people worldwide.

The label
Markup

read at $191.47

Marsh McLennan holds its Markup at $191.47.

PHINPOOPSC
  • PHPhase · the trend structure carries the Markup label
  • INInsiders · no filings inside 60 days, left as found
  • POPositioning · no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
  • OPOptions · no verdict drawn today, left as found
  • SCScreen · does not pass the values gate
  • edge confirmed
  • edge broken
  • edge forming

Each arm is one independent read. Conviction is not a single call, it is how many edges converge.

The investor read · the season, not the day

As held on the ledger · 2026-08-05
PhaseMarkup
Quantitative stateConsolidating, no directional conviction, held for 1 days
Price$191.47
Valuation22.99 trailing · 16.78 forward price to earnings
Values screenFAIL · score 10.0
Beta0.58

The opportunity · what the numbers say it is worth

Our framework reads AVOID — it trades above our $186.06 fair value estimate, moderate competitive moat, 6.20% revenue growth.

Read at
$191.47
22.99 P/E · 16.78 fwd
Our fair value
$186.06
3% premium
Analyst target (avg)
$201.00
+5% to current
Target low $180.00Analyst target rangeTarget high $238.00
▲ current $191.47 · | average target

Price history & projections · where it has been, where the models see it going

$247$183$120TODAY5y agoPROJECTIONAnalyst high$238.00 +42%Analyst avg$201.00 +20%Our fair value$186.06 +11%Conservative$162.00 -3%

The valuation journey · where the price sits against fair value and the Street

Current
$191.47
you are here
Conservative
$162.00
-15%
Analyst avg
$201.00
+5%
Our fair value
$186.06
-3%
Analyst high
$238.00
+24%

Green marks levels above today's price, red below; the shaded band is the gap between the price and our fair value.

Reading the gap · Our model and the Street both land near today's price — fairly valued, with no strong edge either way.

Revenue growth6.20%
Profit margin14.24%
Debt to equity145.03
Analyst consensusHold · 21 covering

Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; target range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.

The values screen, explained · five checks, plain English

This company is excluded by both standards. There are two widely recognised ways to check whether a company is suitable for a Muslim investor. It fails on both:

The common standard · AAOIFI
Used by most halal investing apps
✗ DOES NOT PASS
Our stricter standard · asset-based
The one Titan applies
✗ DOES NOT PASS

Why it fails. The problem is its business activity screen. Because both standards agree on this, it is a clear exclusion, not a borderline case.

What these two standards are, and how they differ →

  • Business activity Business activity: Financials sector Fail

Every security is read against two recognised standards: our stricter asset-based screen (ratios measured against total assets) and the more widely used market-value standard (measured against market capitalisation). Where they agree we say so plainly; where they part ways — almost always on the debt check — we show both readings and mark it, because that disagreement is the finding, not a fault. We report the score; you and your scholar make the call.

The business, in plain words · what the numbers mean

Global Risk Broker Hits Ethical Wall

Think of the firm that helps multinationals price everything from hurricane damage to cyber threats. Marsh McLennan sits in that seat, delivering 8 percent revenue growth, a 14 percent profit margin and 28 percent ROE at a forward multiple of 16.1 times.

Those figures sit close to our fair value of 184.66 dollars, yet the ethical screen rules it out on business activity grounds. Moderate moat or not, the fail is decisive and leaves the modest 1 percent margin of safety irrelevant.

Analyst targets cluster near 200 dollars and the buy rating looks tempting on paper alone, but the ethical block overrides any cyclical or valuation debate. Analysis, not advice.

The fundamentals · plain-English read
Forward P/E16.8x
expensive even after accounting for its growth
Trailing P/E23.0x
a premium valuation
Revenue growth6.2%
slow but positive growth
Profit margin14.2%
thin but positive margins
Return on equity25.9%
an exceptional return on shareholder capital
Debt to equity1.45
a meaningful debt load worth watching
Current ratio1.14
adequate liquidity, worth monitoring
Beta0.58
steadier than the market
Market cap$91.4B
Employees95,000

The risks · The main risks here are ordinary market swings and the chance our fair-value read proves too optimistic.

Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.

Latest news · what the market is reading on MRSH

Headlines from third-party outlets, linked for reference — not our reporting, not advice.

Related securities · others in MRSH's space worth a look

Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.

Where & how to trade · wherever in the world you are

MRSH trades on a US exchange. As a US-listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering US markets. New to this, or investing from outside the US? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.

The trader read · the latest dated commentary

The framework has shifted from distribution to markup since the last review. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 15.7% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 22%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 6%. The street (21 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $203. Entered 2026-08-06 · Markup

The dated journal · newest first, never edited

2026-08-06 Markup · changed $191.47 +15.7% Entry 5

The framework has shifted from distribution to markup since the last review. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 15.7% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 22%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 6%. The street (21 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $203.

2026-07-18 Distribution $165.44 +0.0% Entry 4

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 22%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 6%. The street (21 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $203.

2026-07-16 Distribution $165.44 +0.0% Entry 3

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are down 22%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 6%. The street (21 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $203. It reported earnings in this window, a natural checkpoint for the thesis.

2026-07-03 Distribution $165.44 +0.0% Entry 2

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.

2026-07-02 Distribution $165.44 Entry 1

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.

Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.

The insider ledger · Form 4 filings, as filed

Most recent filings · MRSH
DateInsiderTitleTypeSharesValue
2026-05-15 MILLS STEVEN A Director 264 $42,398
2026-03-13 TOMLINSON PATRICK Officer 1,228 ·
2026-03-11 JONES JOHN JUDE Officer 2,362 $410,067
2026-03-04 DOYLE JOHN Q Chief Executive Officer 16,655 $3,052,862
2026-03-04 DOYLE JOHN Q Chief Executive Officer 16,655 ·
2026-03-03 STUDER NICHOLAS MARK Officer 3,837 $706,123
2026-02-27 MILLS STACY Officer 2,723 ·
2026-02-27 FERNANDEZ CARMEN Officer 6,970 ·
2026-02-27 BESWICK PAUL Chief Technology Officer 6,970 ·
2026-02-27 STUDER NICHOLAS MARK Chief Executive Officer 8,044 ·

Public filings, recorded as found. The full tape lives at Insider Intelligence.

The political ledger · congressional disclosures

Disclosures naming MRSH
DatePoliticianPartyTypeAmount
27 Mar2026 Alan Armstrong Republican sell 1K–15K
1 May2026 Ro Khanna Democrat buy 1K–15K

What holding actually paid · price plus dividends

If $1,000 had been placed · historical, not a promise
PeriodPrice thenPrice returnDivs per share$1,000 becameTotal return
1 month $161.58 +3.5% · $1,035 +3.5%
2 months $168.15 -0.5% · $995 -0.5%
3 months $170.01 -1.6% $0.90 $989 -1.1%
6 months $181.61 -7.9% $1.80 $931 -6.9%
1 year $214.02 -21.8% $3.60 $799 -20.1%
2 years $202.71 -17.5% $6.86 $859 -14.1%
3 years $169.90 -1.5% $9.70 $1,042 +4.2%
5 years $128.75 +29.9% $14.20 $1,410 +41.0%

Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever MRSH does next, these words stay.

Marsh McLennan · MRSH · Markup · $191.47
Recorded 2026-08-05 · before the outcome · scored mechanically

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