Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. Has $12.12 Million Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. by 6.6%, purchasing an additional 3,064 shares, bringing their total holdings to 49,647 shares valued at approximately $12.1 million.
• CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of Marsh & McLennan stock, which represented a 19.38% decrease in his ownership, totaling around $4.3 million from the sale.
• Marsh & McLennan recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.90 per share, up from the previous $0.82, marking an annualized yield of 1.8%.

Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 6.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 49,647 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,064 shares during the period. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $12,115,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Activest Wealth Management increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2,775.0% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 115 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, City Holding Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at $37,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on MMC shares. Citigroup initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price objective 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $238.76.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMC traded down $1.53 on Tuesday, hitting $201.93. The company had a trading volume of 1,186,110 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,244,791. The business has a 50 day moving average of $207.82 and a 200 day moving average of $221.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The company has a market cap of $99.27 billion, a PE ratio of 24.23, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.81. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.27 and a 52-week high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.66 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.92 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 16.00%.Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.41 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 24th were paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. This is a boost 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 was Thursday, July 24th. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is currently 43.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total value of $4,334,896.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.