Can Marsh Benefit From Changing Asset Owner Priorities?
Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. MRSH recently said that large asset owners are reshaping portfolios as geopolitical uncertainty, inflation and shifting opportunities change risk priorities. Its 2026 Global Asset Owner Barometer, covering 430 investors with $5.76 trillion under management, found stronger interest in cash, infrastructure and emerging markets.
Marsh’s Niall O’Sullivan said that capital is moving toward diversification, inflation protection and flexibility. The firm described a barbell approach: strengthen downside protection while keeping liquidity available for opportunities.
The survey shows how major institutions are adjusting portfolios rather than simply reducing risk. Almost 48% changed geographic positioning, while 37% lowered portfolio risk and 37% increased liquidity or cash. Infrastructure stands out, with 51% planning higher allocations, followed by emerging-market equities at 47% and inflation-linked assets at 41%. Cash is seeing the sharpest change: 38% expect to raise allocations, versus just 9% in 2025. Private markets remain widespread, with 96% reporting exposure, up from 80% last year. These shifts point to broader demand for diversification, liquidity management and inflation-sensitive assets across institutional portfolios in coming quarters.
For Marsh, the findings support demand for advisory, investment and risk-management services. It will boost MRSH’s revenues in the long run. The company generates about $27 billion in revenue per annum and serves clients across 130 countries.
MRSH appears well positioned to support clients with AI-related advisory needs. It has expanded its AI advisory capabilities primarily through Oliver Wyman’s Quotient, a global AI practice combining more than 300 data scientists, engineers and designers with industry specialists. It has also invested in AI-enabled tools, data infrastructure and partnerships, including Anthropic, to support clients with AI strategy, implementation, governance and transformation.
MRSH’s Price Performance
Shares of Marsh have declined 6.9% year to date compared with the industry’s 18.6% decrease.
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Zacks Rank & Key Picks
Marsh currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks in the broader Finance space are Assurant, Inc. AIZ, CNO Financial Group, Inc. CNO and Equitable Holdings, Inc. EQH. While Assurant currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), CNO Financial and Equitable Holdings have a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Assurant’s current-year earnings is pegged at $22.28 per share, which indicates 12.7% year-over-year growth. It has witnessed five upward estimate revisions against none in the opposite direction in the past 60 days. AIZ beat earnings estimates in each of the last four quarters, with an average surprise of 17.7%.
The consensus mark for CNO Financial’s current-year earnings is pegged at $4.74 per share, which indicates 16.2% year-over-year growth. It has witnessed two upward estimate revisions against none in the opposite direction in the past 60 days. CNO beat earnings estimates in each of the last four quarters, with an average surprise of 23.2%.
The consensus estimate for Equitable Holdings’ current-year earnings is pegged at $7.18 per share, which signals a 15.6% year-over-year increase. It has witnessed four upward estimate revisions against none in the opposite direction in the past 60 days. EQH beat earnings estimates in three of the last four quarters and missed once.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
