AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Sells 11,882 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc reduced its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 11.7%, selling 11,882 shares and valuing its remaining holdings at approximately $19.6 million.
• Marsh & McLennan Companies reported a quarterly EPS of $2.72, exceeding analysts' expectations, and experienced a 12.1% increase in revenue year-over-year, amounting to $6.97 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share, with an ex-dividend date of October 2nd, translating to an annualized dividend of $3.60 and a yield of 1.7%.

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc lessened its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 11.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 89,793 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 11,882 shares during the quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $19,636,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 45,321,445 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $11,059,792,000 after buying an additional 581,930 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 54.2% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,814,788 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,127,193,000 after purchasing an additional 4,505,548 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,345,211 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,060,362,000 after purchasing an additional 340,907 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $1,038,594,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,858,136 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $697,471,000 after purchasing an additional 65,778 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $207.01 on Wednesday. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $195.01 and a 12 month high of $248.00. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $203.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $215.05. The stock has a market cap of $101.77 billion, a PE ratio of 24.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.81.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.92 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.41 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 43.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MMC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 21st. Barclays dropped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $233.00 to $221.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. UBS Group lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $258.00 to $257.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $248.00 to $242.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $237.13.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total transaction 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 $18,031,597.65. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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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