Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV Reduces Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV has decreased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. by 2.9%, now holding 46,981 shares valued at approximately $10.27 million.
• Marsh & McLennan reported an EPS of $2.72 for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations of $2.66, with a revenue increase of 12.1% year-over-year.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share, representing an annual yield of 1.8%, with the ex-dividend date set for October 2nd.

Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV reduced its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 46,981 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 1,384 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up 1.1% of Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Hudson Valley Investment Advisors Inc. ADV's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $10,272,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 45,321,445 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $11,059,792,000 after purchasing an additional 581,930 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 54.2% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,814,788 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,127,193,000 after purchasing an additional 4,505,548 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,345,211 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,060,362,000 after purchasing an additional 340,907 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth $1,038,594,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,858,136 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $697,471,000 after purchasing an additional 65,778 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $201.25 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $195.01 and a 52 week high of $248.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $202.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $216.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $98.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.81.

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 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.66 by $0.06. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The firm 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 earned $2.41 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 2nd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total transaction of $4,334,896.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MMC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 18th. 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 for the company. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.

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