Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC Shares Bought by Financial Management Professionals Inc.

Key Points

• Financial Management Professionals Inc. increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. by 663.9% during the second quarter, now holding 1,841 shares valued at $403,000.
• CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares at an average price of $205.65, reducing his ownership by 19.38% to approximately $18 million.
• Marsh & McLennan Companies reported earnings of $2.72 per share for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, with a revenue increase of 12.1% year-over-year.

Financial Management Professionals Inc. raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 663.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,841 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,600 shares during the quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $403,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,253 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Defined Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.5% in the first quarter. Defined Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,198 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $780,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.6% during the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 7,479 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,825,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,517 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,102,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, E Fund Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,263 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 87,681 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. This 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MMC shares. Barclays dropped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Citigroup began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 target price for the company. UBS Group lowered 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 cut their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $238.76.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $197.27 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $204.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $218.41. 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 1 year low of $195.01 and a 1 year high of $248.00. The company has a market capitalization of $96.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.81.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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 net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.41 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 43.17%.

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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