33,501 Shares in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Acquired by Longbow Finance SA

Key Points

• Longbow Finance SA has acquired 33,501 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., valued at approximately $8,175,000, during the first quarter.
• Marsh & McLennan's stock has been rated by analysts with varying recommendations, including two sell ratings and five buy ratings, leading to an average rating of "Hold" with a price target of $239.79.
• The company recently increased its quarterly dividend from $0.82 to $0.90, representing an annual yield of 1.73%.

Longbow Finance SA bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 33,501 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $8,175,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MMC. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,856,000 after buying an additional 2,960 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,178,000. LPL Financial LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 23.6% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 294,788 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $62,669,000 after buying an additional 56,295 shares in the last quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 145.0% during the fourth quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE now owns 8,688 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,846,000 after buying an additional 5,142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TIAA Trust National Association lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 10,970 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,330,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MMC. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective 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. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $239.79.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:MMC opened at $208.43 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $207.21 and a 52 week high of $248.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.20. The company has a market capitalization of $102.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.80. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $219.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.61.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 24th will be given a $0.90 dividend. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 24th. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.09%.

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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