Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Makes New $4.34 Million Investment in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise has acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, purchasing 17,796 shares valued at approximately $4.34 million.
• The company recently announced an increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.82 to $0.90, yielding approximately 1.74%.
• Marsh & McLennan reported quarterly earnings of $2.72 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations and demonstrating a 12.1% year-over-year revenue growth.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 17,796 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,343,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. City Holding Co. bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter worth approximately $37,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth $42,000. Finally, First Pacific Financial increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 133.8% during the 1st quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 187 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group decreased their price target 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Barclays reduced their price objective on 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $239.79.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MMC stock traded down $1.62 on Friday, reaching $197.58. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,594,084 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,271,498. 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 $196.27 and a 12-month high of $248.00. The company has a market capitalization of $97.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.73, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.80. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $217.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $224.37.

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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 quarter last year, the business posted $2.41 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 24th. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 43.17%.

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.