Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Purchased by Blair William & Co. IL

Key Points

• Blair William & Co. IL increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.7%, holding 44,761 shares valued at approximately $10.92 million.
• Marsh & McLennan reported earnings of $2.72 per share in its recent quarter, exceeding estimates and showing a 12.1% year-over-year revenue increase.
• The company has raised its quarterly dividend to $0.90 per share, up from $0.82, resulting in an annual yield of 1.8%.

Blair William & Co. IL lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 4.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,761 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,998 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $10,923,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,253 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $306,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Defined Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.5% during the first quarter. Defined Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,198 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $780,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 7,479 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,825,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,517 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,102,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Opus Capital Group LLC grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Opus Capital Group LLC now owns 1,926 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $470,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MMC. Barclays cut 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 report on Monday, July 7th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $239.79.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE MMC traded down $0.80 on Thursday, reaching $203.10. 3,026,763 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,861,376. The company has a 50 day moving average of $214.89 and a 200 day moving average of $223.98. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $196.27 and a fifty-two week high of $248.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.85 billion, a PE ratio of 24.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.77.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 earnings per share (EPS) 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.92 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.41 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 24th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.