Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG Acquires 8,527 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, acquiring an additional 8,527 shares, bringing its total holdings to 220,201 shares worth approximately $48.1 million.
• CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of Marsh & McLennan, decreasing his ownership by 19.38%, which raised concerns among investors about insider selling.
• Marsh & McLennan recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share, with a payout ratio of 43.17%, reflecting the company's ongoing commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 4.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 220,201 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 8,527 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises 1.0% of Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG's holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $48,145,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MMC. Wellington Management Group LLP grew 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 valued at $3,127,193,000 after acquiring an additional 4,505,548 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at about $1,038,594,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 32,120.9% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,510,966 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 1,436,044 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC stock opened at $197.86 on Friday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $204.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $218.02. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $195.01 and a one year high of $248.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.27 billion, a PE ratio of 23.72, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 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 business had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.41 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MMC has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 price target on the stock. Barclays reduced their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 21st. Six 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 company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.

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