Bridgewater Advisors Inc. Takes Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Bridgewater Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 5,196 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,153,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% in the 4th 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 purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,178,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 40.1% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,244 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $689,000 after purchasing an additional 928 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 80.6% in the 4th quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 2,184 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $464,000 after purchasing an additional 975 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 21.5% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC now owns 144,628 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,720,000 after purchasing an additional 25,554 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE MMC traded up $1.43 on Friday, hitting $212.47. The company had a trading volume of 3,523,166 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,229,006. The company has a market capitalization of $104.69 billion, a PE ratio of 26.04, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.80. The company's fifty day moving average price is $221.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $224.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $207.21 and a 12-month high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.66 by $0.06. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 32.19%. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.92 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.41 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 24th. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 39.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on MMC shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $240.29.

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.