Aberdeen Group plc Reduces Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc significantly reduced its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, selling 269,326 shares and owning approximately 0.08% of the company, valued at $92.2 million.
• Marsh & McLennan recently posted quarterly earnings of $2.72 EPS, exceeding analyst expectations, with revenue up 12.1% year-over-year.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.82 to $0.90, reflecting a positive growth in investor returns.

Aberdeen Group plc lessened its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 41.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 379,069 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 269,326 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.08% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $92,239,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parisi Gray Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $947,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 101.7% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 103,551 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,270,000 after acquiring an additional 52,218 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.9% during the 1st quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 324,035 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $78,662,000 after purchasing an additional 29,247 shares during the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 101.4% during the 1st quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 7,136 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,741,000 after acquiring an additional 3,593 shares during the period. Finally, US Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 23.1% during the first quarter. US Asset Management LLC now owns 6,847 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,671,000 after buying an additional 1,284 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 1.6%

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded up $3.2310 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $210.8810. The stock had a trading volume of 1,480,471 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,282,042. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $196.27 and a fifty-two 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 stock's 50-day simple moving average is $210.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $223.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $103.67 billion, a PE ratio of 25.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.77.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.92 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.41 EPS. The business's revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 24th were paid a $0.90 dividend. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 24th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 43.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.