Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Raises Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP has increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. by 1.7%, now owning over 2 million shares worth approximately $503.2 million.
• Multiple large investors including Vanguard Group and UBS AM have also raised their stakes in Marsh & McLennan, highlighting strong institutional interest with 87.99% of shares owned by such investors.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share, up from $0.82, reflecting a positive trend in shareholder returns with an annualized yield of 1.7%.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 1.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,062,278 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 33,651 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.42% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $503,218,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. City Holding Co. acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE:MMC traded up $3.2310 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $210.8810. The company had a trading volume of 1,480,471 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,282,042. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $210.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $223.31. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $196.27 and a one year high of $248.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The company has a market capitalization of $103.67 billion, a PE ratio of 25.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.77.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.92 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.41 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 24th were issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 24th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is currently 43.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MMC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered 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 research note on Monday, July 21st. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 target price on the stock. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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 research report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 price objective on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $238.76.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.