Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC Decreases Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC has reduced its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. by 3.6%, selling 8,551 shares and now holding 231,933 shares valued at approximately $56.6 million.
• Analysts show mixed sentiment towards the company, with the average rating being "Hold" and an average target price of $238.76, while several firms have issued varying price targets from $210.00 to $256.00.
• Marsh & McLennan recently announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.90 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $3.60 and a yield of 1.7%.

Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 3.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 231,933 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 8,551 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $56,599,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. City Holding Co. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 61.0% in the 1st quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 169 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MMC stock traded down $0.73 on Friday, reaching $205.71. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,404,938 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,159,200. 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 12-month low of $196.27 and a 12-month high of $248.00. The company has a market capitalization of $101.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.67, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.77. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $209.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $222.24.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.66 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.92 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.41 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 24th were given a dividend of $0.90 per share. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 24th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is 43.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on MMC. 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 report on Monday, August 18th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 price target for the company. Finally, 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. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $238.76.

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.