Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. Buys 5,638 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. significantly increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 44%, acquiring an additional 5,638 shares during the second quarter, bringing their total to 18,445 shares.
• Marsh & McLennan Companies reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $2.72, exceeding analyst expectations of $2.66, with revenue rising 12.1% year-over-year to $6.97 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share, with an annualized yield of 1.8%, set to be paid to shareholders on November 14th.

Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 44.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,445 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,638 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises approximately 1.1% of Brown Lisle Cummings Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $4,033,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Activest Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2,775.0% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 115 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 61.0% during the first quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 169 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $199.60 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.20. The company's 50 day moving average price is $203.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $217.79. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $195.01 and a 52-week high of $248.00. The company has a market capitalization of $98.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.81.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.41 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 is Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is presently 43.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MMC. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of 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. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Barclays decreased 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 note on Monday, July 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 price objective for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $238.76.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total transaction 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 $18,031,597.65. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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