Commerce Bank Sells 1,429 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Key Points

• Commerce Bank has reduced its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.6%, now holding 24,047 shares worth approximately $5.87 million.
• Several other hedge funds have significantly increased their positions in Marsh & McLennan, with Stifel Financial Corp growing its holdings by 551% and GAMMA Investing LLC by over 32,000% in the recent quarter.
• Marsh & McLennan recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share, marking an increase from the prior dividend of $0.82, reflecting a 1.8% annual yield.

Commerce Bank trimmed its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 5.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,047 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 1,429 shares during the quarter. Commerce Bank's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $5,868,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MMC. City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth about $37,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $42,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, First Pacific Financial lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 133.8% during the 1st quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 187 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group cut their target price 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. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective 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. Barclays decreased their price objective 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, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 18th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $239.79.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:MMC traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $203.87. 159,583 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,276,569. The stock has a market cap of $100.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.77. 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 12-month low of $196.27 and a 12-month high of $248.00. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $214.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $223.98.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.92 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.41 earnings per share. Marsh & McLennan Companies's quarterly revenue 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 year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.