Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC Shares Purchased by Ethic Inc.

Key Points

• Ethic Inc. increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.7% in the first quarter, bringing their total to 72,805 shares valued at approximately $17.76 million.
• Marsh & McLennan Companies recently declared a dividend increase to $0.90 per share, effective on August 15th, representing a 1.7% dividend yield.
• Analyst reports show mixed ratings for Marsh & McLennan, with target prices ranging from $210.00 to $256.00, and an average rating of "Hold".

Ethic Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 7.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 72,805 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,236 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $17,764,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MMC. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 13.7% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,735 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,400,000 after buying an additional 693 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,062,278 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $503,218,000 after buying an additional 33,651 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 12,361 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,006,000 after buying an additional 792 shares during the last quarter. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.5% during the first quarter. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC now owns 56,706 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $13,838,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the period. Finally, Trivium Point Advisory LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 4,193 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,023,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $239.94.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of MMC traded up $0.30 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $207.29. The company had a trading volume of 1,767,649 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,644,554. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $211.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $223.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market cap of $101.91 billion, a PE ratio of 24.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.77. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.27 and a 1-year high of $248.00.

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 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 business had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.41 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 24th were given a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 24th. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.17%.

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.