Annex Advisory Services LLC Increases Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Annex Advisory Services LLC has increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 16.0%, now holding 73,440 shares valued at approximately $16.06 million.
• The company recently reported earnings of $2.72 per share, beating estimates, with quarterly revenues up 12.1% year-over-year at $6.97 billion.
• Marsh & McLennan Companies declared a quarterly dividend of $0.90, reflecting an annualized yield of 1.8%, with a payout ratio of 43.17%.

Annex Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 16.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 73,440 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 10,140 shares during the period. Annex Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $16,057,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 54.2% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,814,788 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,127,193,000 after purchasing an additional 4,505,548 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth $1,038,594,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 32,120.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,515,670 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $369,869,000 after purchasing an additional 1,510,966 shares in the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 153.6% in the first quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 2,370,678 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $578,517,000 after purchasing an additional 1,436,044 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5,035.9% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 808,800 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $176,836,000 after purchasing an additional 793,052 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MMC stock opened at $196.82 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market cap of $96.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.81. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $195.01 and a 1-year high of $248.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $205.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $218.95.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be given a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 43.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on MMC shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Barclays reduced 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 research report on Monday, July 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $238.76.

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 value of $4,334,896.35. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,681 shares in the company, valued at $18,031,597.65. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

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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