Candriam S.C.A. Sells 4,128 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. reduced its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.1%, now holding 96,023 shares valued at $23.43 million after selling 4,128 shares in the first quarter.
• Marsh & McLennan recently reported $2.72 EPS for the quarter, surpassing estimates, with a 12.1% year-over-year revenue increase to $6.97 billion.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $0.90, up from $0.82, representing an annual yield of 1.7% and a payout ratio of 43.17%.

Candriam S.C.A. lessened its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 4.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 96,023 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 4,128 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $23,432,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 670.2% in the 1st quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 300,477 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $73,326,000 after buying an additional 261,464 shares during the period. Capital Fund Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 940.4% during the 1st quarter. Capital Fund Management S.A. now owns 30,255 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $7,383,000 after purchasing an additional 33,855 shares during the last quarter. Capital Analysts LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.5% during the 1st quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 366,489 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $89,196,000 after purchasing an additional 12,514 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Humankind Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth $211,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:MMC traded down $0.7270 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $210.3830. The stock had a trading volume of 1,467,076 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,517,538. 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 1-year low of $196.27 and a 1-year high of $248.00. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $210.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $222.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $103.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.23, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.77.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm 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 firm earned $2.41 EPS. The business's revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS 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. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 24th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is currently 43.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. 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. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 price target on the stock. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 7th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.