157,311 Shares in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC Purchased by Strs Ohio

Key Points

• Strs Ohio acquired a new position by purchasing 157,311 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., valued at approximately $38.4 million, during the first quarter.
• The company's quarterly dividend was recently increased to $0.90 per share, reflecting a positive change from the previous dividend of $0.82.
• Analysts have mixed views on MMC, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $238.76, following several downward revisions in target prices from major banks.

Strs Ohio purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 157,311 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $38,389,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2,775.0% during the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 115 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the period. City Holding Co. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 61.0% during the 1st quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 169 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MMC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $238.76.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total value of $4,334,896.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,681 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE MMC opened at $203.19 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $207.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $220.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.36, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.81. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $196.27 and a 52 week high of $248.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.66 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.92 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.41 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 24th were issued a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 24th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is currently 43.17%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc is a professional services firm, which engages in offering clients advice and solutions in risk, strategy, and people. It operates through the Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment is involved in risk management activities, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking and services.

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