Louisbourg Investments Inc. Reduces Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Louisbourg Investments Inc. reduced its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 33.0%, holding 5,479 shares after selling 2,700 shares in Q2, with a total value of $1,198,000.
• Several institutional investors, including Wellington Management Group and Valeo Financial Advisors, significantly increased their stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies this year, reflecting a strong interest in the stock.
• Marsh & McLennan reported $2.72 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding expectations, and announced a $0.90 quarterly dividend, with a yield of 1.7%.

Louisbourg Investments Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 33.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,479 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 2,700 shares during the quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,198,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MMC. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 54.2% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,814,788 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,127,193,000 after buying an additional 4,505,548 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth about $1,038,594,000. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 48,212.9% in the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,629,187 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $574,845,000 after buying an additional 2,623,745 shares in the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 153.6% in the first quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 2,370,678 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $578,517,000 after buying an additional 1,436,044 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5,035.9% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 808,800 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $176,836,000 after buying an additional 793,052 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $207.12 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $195.01 and a one year high of $248.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $203.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $215.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.83, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.81.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.92 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.41 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be issued a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.17%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total value of $4,334,896.35. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 87,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. This trade 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 hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MMC. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $226.00 to $222.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $258.00 to $257.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Cantor Fitzgerald began 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 on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 target price on the stock. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $237.13.

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.

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