American Trust Sells 5,749 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• American Trust reduced its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 26.2%, selling 5,749 shares to own a total of 16,157 shares, which are valued at approximately $3,943,000.
• Six investment analysts rated Marsh & McLennan Companies with a consensus rating of "Hold", with an average price target of $238.76.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share, an increase from the previous dividend, representing an annualized yield of 1.8%.

American Trust cut its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 26.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,157 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 5,749 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up 1.0% of American Trust's portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. American Trust's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $3,943,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MMC. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth $28,000. Activest Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2,775.0% in the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 115 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth $37,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MMC stock traded down $0.49 during trading on Friday, reaching $202.97. 2,652,548 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,856,531. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $196.27 and a twelve month high of $248.00. The company has a market capitalization of $99.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.81. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $206.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $220.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick 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 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.92 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.41 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 24th were issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 24th. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on MMC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 21st. 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 report on Monday, August 18th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 18th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $238.76.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,681 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.