Norinchukin Bank The Buys 2,891 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Norinchukin Bank increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 13.9% in the first quarter, now owning 23,639 shares valued at approximately $5.77 million.
• Several hedge funds, including Vanguard Group Inc. and Wellington Management Group LLP, also increased their stakes, with 87.99% of the stock now owned by institutional investors.
• Marsh & McLennan recently raised its quarterly dividend from $0.82 to $0.90 per share, reflecting a positive change and a yield of 1.7%.

Norinchukin Bank The grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 13.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 23,639 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,891 shares during the period. Norinchukin Bank The's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $5,769,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors 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 first quarter valued at $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at $28,000. City Holding Co. bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at $37,000. Capital Analysts LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 61.0% during the first quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 169 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.3%

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded down $0.7270 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $210.3830. The stock had a trading volume of 1,467,076 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,476,257. 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 fifty-two week low of $196.27 and a fifty-two week high of $248.00. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $210.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $222.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $103.43 billion, a PE ratio of 25.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.77.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 16.00%.The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.41 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast 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 was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 24th were paid a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 24th. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 43.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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 report on Friday, July 18th. Barclays dropped their price target 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. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 price target on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.