Wells Fargo analyst Elyse Greenspan downgraded Marsh & McLennan (MMC) to Market Perform from Outperform with an unchanged price target of $95. With the shares up 19% year-to-date, the analyst is taking the time to move to the sidelines. She views Marsh & McLennan's acquisition of JLT as a long-term positive but points out that "no large brokerage transactions have taken place without some hiccups along the way." For investors looking for exposure to the brokers, Greenspan continues to have an Outperform rating on Arthur J Gallagher (AJG).

Reports Q1 revenue $3.19B, consensus $3.18B. The company said, "Our core brokerage and risk management segments combined to post 20% revenue growth, including 9.4% organic revenue growth. At the same time, we grew net earnings by 26% and adjusted EBITDAC by 19%. First quarter primary insurance renewal premiums were up 7%. Property increases were up nearly 10% and casualty increases were approaching 7%, overcoming headwinds from professional lines like D&O and cyber. Reinsurance carriers are broadly maintaining their discipline on pricing, terms and conditions, while meeting increased client demand with incremental capacity. Overall, our insurance and reinsurance carrier partners continue to behave rationally, pushing for rate increases where it's needed by line of business, industry and geography. Customers are buying more insurance. Our first quarter data is showing solid customer business activity and mid-term policy endorsements, audits and cancellations combined were again ahead of last year's levels. We are also seeing continued labor market strength and further increases in new claims arising, also pointing to a resilient economic backdrop for our clients."