Vident Advisory LLC Purchases 5,460 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Vident Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 36.5% during the first quarter, acquiring an additional 5,460 shares, bringing their total to 20,437 shares valued at approximately $4.99 million.
• Several analysts have adjusted their target prices for Marsh & McLennan, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $238.76.
• Marsh & McLennan declared a quarterly dividend of $0.90, marking an increase from the previous $0.82 dividend, with an annual yield of 1.8%.

Vident Advisory LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 36.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,437 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,460 shares during the quarter. Vident Advisory LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $4,988,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Evergreen Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.6% in the first quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 1,998 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $488,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.9% in the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 132,155 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $32,250,000 after purchasing an additional 8,570 shares during the period. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.4% in the first quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 12,461 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,041,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066 shares in the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth $181,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at $72,000. 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 research analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price objective 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. UBS Group lowered their price objective 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. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective 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. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 price objective on the stock. Six 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $238.76.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded down $0.42 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $205.02. 1,244,048 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,255,535. The firm has a market cap of $100.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.58, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $208.83 and a 200 day moving average of $221.91. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.27 and a 12 month high of $248.00.

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. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 16.00%.The company had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.41 earnings per share. Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

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

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.