Ieq Capital LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Ieq Capital LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 20.8%, owning 46,542 shares valued at $11,358,000 as of the latest SEC filing.
• Marsh & McLennan Companies declared a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share, up from the previous $0.82, reflecting a 1.7% yield.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for Marsh & McLennan, with six rating it as a Buy, nine as Hold, and two as Sell, while the average price target is $238.76.

Ieq Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 20.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 46,542 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 8,022 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $11,358,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. City Holding Co. purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 61.0% in the first quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 169 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. 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 note on Friday, July 18th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of 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. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $238.76.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE MMC traded down $0.35 on Tuesday, hitting $205.47. 933,147 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,249,045. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.27 and a 1-year high of $248.00. The company has a market cap of $101.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $209.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $222.02.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.41 EPS. Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 24th were given a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 24th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is 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.