Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC Holdings Raised by Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio

Key Points

• The Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 53.5%, holding 332,959 shares worth approximately $72.8 million.
• Several institutional investors also boosted their positions, with Wellington Management Group increasing its stake by 54.2% and GAMMA Investing LLC by an astonishing 32,120.9% in the first quarter.
• Analysts hold a mixed view on MMC, with six rating it as a Buy, ten as a Hold, and two as a Sell, resulting in an average target price of $238.76.

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 53.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 332,959 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 116,045 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio owned 0.07% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $72,798,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 54.2% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,814,788 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,127,193,000 after purchasing an additional 4,505,548 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,038,594,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 32,120.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,515,670 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $369,869,000 after buying an additional 1,510,966 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd grew its stake 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 acquiring an additional 1,436,044 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5,035.9% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 808,800 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $176,836,000 after purchasing an additional 793,052 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of 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. Citigroup started coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays dropped 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. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $238.76.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of MMC opened at $197.27 on Wednesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $195.01 and a 12-month high of $248.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.98 billion, a PE ratio of 23.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $204.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $218.41.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

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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