Jensen Investment Management Inc. Sells 410,865 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Key Points

• Jensen Investment Management Inc. reduced its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 13.5%, selling 410,865 shares and now owning approximately 2.6 million shares valued at $641.72 million.
• Marsh & McLennan Companies recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share, an increase from its previous dividend of $0.82, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 1.8%.
• Several financial analysts have adjusted their price targets for Marsh & McLennan Companies, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $239.79.

Jensen Investment Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 13.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,629,686 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 410,865 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up approximately 7.1% of Jensen Investment Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Jensen Investment Management Inc. owned about 0.53% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $641,722,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MMC. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 45,321,445 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $11,059,792,000 after buying an additional 581,930 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of 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 period. Natural Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at about $218,000. Wealthspire Advisors LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.5% during the first quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 3,538 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $863,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 66.2% in the 1st quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 590 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $144,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MMC. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on 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. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Barclays decreased 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 report on Monday, July 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $239.79.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded down $0.80 during trading on Thursday, reaching $203.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,026,763 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,861,376. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $214.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $223.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.77. 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 one year low of $196.27 and a one year high of $248.00.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 24th will be given a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 24th. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. 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.