Marsh & McLennan : Reports Third Quarter 2014 Results

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC), a global professional services firm offering clients advice and solutions in risk, strategy, and human capital, today reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2014.

Marsh & McLennan Companies President and CEO Dan Glaser said: "The Company delivered its thirteenth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth in adjusted earnings per share. This strong performance reflects revenue growth of 7% and underlying revenue growth of 5%, with all operating companies contributing. Adjusted operating income grew 11%, and the adjusted margin expanded 50 basis points.

For the nine months of 2014, results were excellent: revenue growth of 6% and underlying revenue growth of 5%; an 11% increase in adjusted operating income; margin improvement of 80 basis points; and 13% growth in adjusted EPS.”

Consolidated Results

Consolidated revenue in the third quarter of 2014 was $3.1 billion, an increase of 7%, or 5% on an underlying basis, compared with the third quarter of 2013. Operating income rose 10% to $445 million, compared with $404 million in the prior year. Net income attributable to the Company was $297 million, or $.54 per share, compared with $253 million, or $.45 per share, in the prior year. Adjusted earnings per share increased 22% to $.56 from $.46 last year.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2014, net income attributable to the Company rose 11% to $1.2 billion, or $2.11 per share, compared with $1.1 billion, or $1.89 per share, in 2013. Adjusted earnings per share increased 13% to $2.16.

Risk and Insurance Services

Risk and Insurance Services revenue was $1.6 billion in the third quarter of 2014, an increase of 7%, or 4% on an underlying basis. Adjusted operating income increased 6% to $242 million. For the nine months of 2014, revenue was $5.2 billion, an increase of 6%, or 3% underlying revenue growth. Adjusted operating income rose 6% to $1.2 billion, compared with $1.1 billion last year.

Marsh's revenue in the third quarter of 2014 was $1.3 billion, an increase of 8%, or 5% on an underlying basis. International operations produced underlying revenue growth of 5%, reflecting growth of 11% in Latin America; 5% in Asia Pacific; and 4% in EMEA. In the US/Canada division, underlying revenue rose 4%. Guy Carpenter's revenue in the third quarter was $266 million, an increase of 2% from the prior year, or 3% on an underlying basis.

Consulting

Consulting revenue of $1.5 billion in the third quarter increased 7% from the third quarter of 2013, or 6% on an underlying basis. Adjusted operating income increased 19% to $274 million, compared with $231 million a year ago. For the nine months of 2014, revenue was $4.5 billion, an increase of 7%, or 6% underlying. Adjusted operating income increased 19% to $746 million from $625 million last year.

Mercer's revenue was $1.1 billion in the third quarter, an increase of 4%, or 3% on an underlying basis. Health, with revenue of $392 million, grew 4% on an underlying basis, and Investments, with revenue of $213 million, grew 10%. Retirement, with revenue of $330 million, was unchanged, as was Talent, with revenue of $177 million. Oliver Wyman Group’s revenue was $429 million in the third quarter, an increase of 18%, or 16% on an underlying basis.

Other Items

In the third quarter, the Company had investment income of $26 million, which was predominantly carried interest from Trident III no longer subject to clawback. Investment income in the third quarter of 2013 was $14 million. In September 2014, the Company issued $500 million of 3.5% senior notes due in 2025 and $300 million of 2.35% senior notes due in 2019. The Company is using the net proceeds for general corporate purposes, including the October 2014 redemption of $230 million of 5.75% senior notes due in September 2015 and $400 million of 9.25% senior notes due in 2019. The Company repurchased 4.8 million shares of its common stock for $250 million in the third quarter.

Conference Call

A conference call to discuss third quarter 2014 results will be held today at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time. To participate in the teleconference, please dial +1 888 349 9587. Callers from outside the United States should dial +1 719 325 2336. The access code for both numbers is 8072963. The live audio webcast may be accessed at www.mmc.com. A replay of the webcast will be available approximately two hours after the event.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

MARSH & McLENNAN COMPANIES (NYSE:MMC) is a global professional services firm offering clients advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy, and human capital. Marsh is a global leader in insurance broking and risk management; Guy Carpenter is a global leader in providing risk and reinsurance intermediary services; Mercer is a global leader in talent, health, retirement, and investment consulting; and Oliver Wyman is a global leader in management consulting. With annual revenue exceeding $12 billion, Marsh & McLennan Companies’ 56,000 colleagues worldwide provide analysis, advice, and transactional capabilities to clients in more than 130 countries. The Company prides itself on being a responsible corporate citizen and making a positive impact in the communities in which it operates. Visit www.mmc.com for more information.

INFORMATION CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains “forward-looking statements,” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements, which express management's current views concerning future events or results, use words like “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “continue,” “estimate,” “expect,” “future,” “intend,” “plan,” “project” and similar terms, and future or conditional tense verbs like “could,” “may,” “might,” “should,” “will” and “would.” For example, we may use forward-looking statements when addressing topics such as: the outcome of contingencies; the expected impact of acquisitions and dispositions; the impact of competition; pension obligations; the impact of foreign currency exchange rates; our effective tax rates; changes in our business strategies and methods of generating revenue; the development and performance of our services and products; changes in the composition or level of our revenues; our cost structure, dividend policy, cash flow and liquidity; future actions by regulators; and the impact of changes in accounting rules.

Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in our forward-looking statements include, among other things:

• our exposure to potential liabilities arising from errors and omissions claims against us;
• the impact of competition, including with respect to our geographic reach, the sophistication and quality of our services, our pricing relative to competitors, our customers' option to self-insure or use internal resources instead of consultants, and our corporate tax rates relative to a number of our competitors;
• the extent to which we retain existing clients and attract new business, and our ability to incentivize and retain key employees;
• our ability to maintain adequate physical, technical and administrative safeguards to protect the security of confidential information or data, and the potential of a system or network disruption that results in regulatory penalties, remedial costs or the improper disclosure of confidential information or data;
• our exposure to potential criminal sanctions or civil remedies if we fail to comply with foreign and U.S. laws and regulations that are applicable in the domestic and international jurisdictions in which we operate, including evolving sanctions against Russia and existing trade sanctions laws relating to countries such as Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria, anti-corruption laws such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the U.K. Bribery Act 2010, local laws prohibiting corrupt payments to government officials, as well as import and export restrictions;
• our ability to make acquisitions and dispositions and to integrate, and realize expected synergies, savings or benefits from, the businesses we acquire;
• changes in the funded status of our global defined benefit pension plans and the impact of any increased pension funding resulting from those changes;
• the impact on our net income of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;
• our ability to successfully recover should we experience a disaster or other business continuity problem, such as an earthquake, hurricane, flood, terrorist attack, pandemic, security breach, cyber attack, power loss, telecommunications failure or other natural or man-made disaster;
• the impact of changes in interest rates and deterioration of counterparty credit quality on our cash balances and the performance of our investment portfolios, including corporate and fiduciary funds;
• the potential impact of rating agency actions on our cost of financing and ability to borrow, as well as on our operating costs and competitive position;
• changes in applicable tax or accounting requirements; and
• potential income statement effects from the application of FASB's ASC Topic No. 740 (“Income Taxes”) regarding accounting treatment of uncertain tax benefits and valuation allowances, including the effect of any subsequent adjustments to the estimates we use in applying this accounting standard.

The factors identified above are not exhaustive. Marsh & McLennan Companies and its subsidiaries operate in a dynamic business environment in which new risks may emerge frequently. Accordingly, we caution readers not to place undue reliance on the above forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the dates on which they are made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date on which it is made. Further information concerning Marsh & McLennan Companies and its businesses, including information about factors that could materially affect our results of operations and financial condition, is contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the “Risk Factors” section of our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Revenue Details

The following table provides more detailed revenue information for certain of the components presented above:

Revenue Details

The following table provides more detailed revenue information for certain of the components presented above: