Groupama Asset Managment Acquires 1,682 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Groupama Asset Management increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 131.5%, owning 2,961 shares valued at $718,000 after adding 1,682 shares in the first quarter.
• Analysts have lowered price targets for Marsh & McLennan, with companies like Keefe, Bruyette & Woods setting an "underperform" rating and decreasing their price objective from $214.00 to $210.00.
• Marsh & McLennan Companies announced a quarterly dividend increase from $0.82 to $0.90, reflecting a positive dividend yield of 1.7%.

Groupama Asset Managment boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 131.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,961 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,682 shares during the quarter. Groupama Asset Managment's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $718,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 45,321,445 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $11,059,792,000 after buying an additional 581,930 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised 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 buying an additional 4,505,548 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,151,020 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,156,179,000 after buying an additional 96,750 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,934,340 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,260,513,000 after buying an additional 726,713 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 13.2% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,218,488 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,108,459,000 after purchasing an additional 609,602 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMC traded down $0.7270 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $210.3830. 1,467,076 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,517,538. The company's 50 day moving average price is $210.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $222.98. The firm has a market cap of $103.43 billion, a PE ratio of 25.23, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $196.27 and a 52 week high of $248.00.

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 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.92 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.41 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 24th. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 43.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on MMC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 price target for the company. UBS Group cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $238.76.

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.