J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Makes New $283,000 Investment in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG invested $283,000 in Marsh & McLennan Companies, acquiring 1,293 shares of the financial services provider during the second quarter.
• CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares at a total value of approximately $4.3 million, decreasing his ownership stake by 19.38%.
• Marsh & McLennan recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share, with an annualized yield of 1.8%.

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 1,293 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $283,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Activest Wealth Management grew its position 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 worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. City Holding Co. acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 transaction of $4,334,896.35. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 87,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:MMC opened at $201.25 on Monday. The company's fifty day moving average is $202.96 and its 200-day moving average is $216.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.20. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $195.01 and a 52 week high of $248.00. The company has a market capitalization of $98.94 billion, a PE ratio of 24.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.81.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.92 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.41 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MMC shares. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on 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. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock 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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