Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC is Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC's 4th Largest Position

Key Points

• Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. by 0.9%, now owning approximately 4.1% of the company, which is its 4th largest position.
• Marsh & McLennan Companies reported earnings of $1.85 EPS for the quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.78 and showing an 11.5% year-over-year revenue increase.
• The firm will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share on November 14th, with a current dividend yield of 1.9% and a payout ratio of 43.17%.

Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC cut its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 426,623 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,865 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises approximately 4.1% of Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC owned about 0.09% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $93,277,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MMC. LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.9% in the first quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 324,035 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $78,662,000 after buying an additional 29,247 shares in the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 101.4% during the first quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 7,136 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,741,000 after purchasing an additional 3,593 shares in the last quarter. US Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 23.1% during the first quarter. US Asset Management LLC now owns 6,847 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,671,000 after buying an additional 1,284 shares during the last quarter. Geneva Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $4,673,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 32.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,211 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,516,000 after buying an additional 1,507 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total transaction of $4,334,896.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,681 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $188.99 on Wednesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $185.12 and a 52-week high of $248.00. The company has a market cap of $92.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.81. The firm's fifty day moving average is $202.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $213.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.60% and a return on equity of 31.79%. The business had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.34 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.63 EPS. The business's revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be paid a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 2nd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MMC shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $222.00 to $212.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $258.00 to $257.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $200.00 to $195.00 in a report on Monday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $234.07.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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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