Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC Shares Purchased by Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec

Key Points

• The Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 34.1% during Q1, now holding 186,539 shares valued at $45.5 million.
• Marsh & McLennan recently reported a quarterly EPS of $2.72, surpassing estimates and showing a 12.1% year-over-year revenue increase to $6.97 billion.
• The company has announced a dividend increase, raising its quarterly payment from $0.82 to $0.90, resulting in an annual yield of 1.8%.

Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 34.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 186,539 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 47,385 shares during the quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $45,541,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2,775.0% during the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 115 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. City Holding Co. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 61.0% during the 1st quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 169 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MMC. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 price target on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Citigroup began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on 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, Barclays reduced their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $238.76.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $205.71 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $101.13 billion, a PE ratio of 24.67, 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. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.27 and a 1-year high of $248.00. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $209.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $222.02.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 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 prior year, the business posted $2.41 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

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

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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