Cerity Partners LLC Grows Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 107.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 260,963 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 135,306 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC owned 0.05% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $63,682,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. City Holding Co. purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth $37,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth $42,000. Finally, First Pacific Financial grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 133.8% in the first quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 187 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MMC stock traded down $2.70 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $210.87. The stock had a trading volume of 2,968,246 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,985,728. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $207.21 and a 52 week high of $248.00. The stock's 50 day moving average is $222.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The firm has a market cap of $103.90 billion, a PE ratio of 25.84, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.80.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.19% and a net margin of 16.13%. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 24th will be given a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 24th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.71%. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MMC shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $228.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 target price on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $215.00 to $214.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. UBS Group increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on 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. 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 company. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $240.50.

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.