Czech National Bank Purchases 7,635 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• The Czech National Bank increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. by 6.8%, acquiring an additional 7,635 shares, bringing its total holdings to 120,440 shares valued at approximately $26.3 million.
• Major investors, including MassMutual Private Wealth and IAM Advisory, also raised their stakes in Marsh & McLennan during the same quarter, indicating strong institutional interest, with 87.99% of the stock owned by institutional investors.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend increase from $0.82 to $0.90 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 1.8% and reflecting a positive change in financial returns for shareholders.

Czech National Bank boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 6.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 120,440 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 7,635 shares during the period. Czech National Bank's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $26,333,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.8% during the second quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 4,117 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $900,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the period. IAM Advisory LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.5% in the second quarter. IAM Advisory LLC now owns 8,601 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,880,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares during the period. Everpar Advisors LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.0% in the second quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC now owns 2,140 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $468,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. Advance Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.6% in the second quarter. Advance Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,406 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $963,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Value Partners Investments Inc. grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.2% during the second quarter. Value Partners Investments Inc. now owns 11,907 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,599,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of 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. UBS Group lowered 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. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $238.76.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $198.01 on Tuesday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $206.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $219.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.35 billion, a PE ratio of 23.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.20. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $196.27 and a fifty-two week high of $248.00.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $6.92 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.41 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 24th were given a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 24th. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.

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