Balefire LLC Buys New Shares in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Balefire LLC has acquired 1,787 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., valued at approximately $391,000, during the second quarter.
• Major institutional investors are actively increasing their stakes in Marsh & McLennan, with 87.99% of the stock currently owned by such investors.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share, representing a 1.8% yield, to be paid on November 14th.

Balefire LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,787 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $391,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MMC. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 54.2% during 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 in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,038,594,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position 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 worth $369,869,000 after purchasing an additional 1,510,966 shares in the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 153.6% during the first quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 2,370,678 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $578,517,000 after purchasing an additional 1,436,044 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 45,321,445 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $11,059,792,000 after purchasing an additional 581,930 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.7%

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded down $1.29 during trading on Thursday, hitting $196.11. The company had a trading volume of 1,455,507 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,946,792. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $195.01 and a 1-year high of $248.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $205.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $219.35. The stock has a market cap of $96.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.81.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released 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 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 analyst estimates of $6.92 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.41 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 2nd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.17%.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total value of $4,334,896.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 87,681 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MMC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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 report on Friday, July 18th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.