Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC Stake Raised by Ninety One North America Inc.

Key Points

• Ninety One North America Inc. increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 47.0% during Q2, owning 98,045 shares valued at approximately $21.4 million by the end of the reporting period.
• Following a recent sale of shares by CEO John Q. Doyle, his ownership dropped by 19.38%, leaving him with shares valued at about $18 million.
• The company reported an EPS of $2.72 for the last quarter, beating analysts' expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.90, yielding 1.8%.

Ninety One North America Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 47.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 98,045 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 31,368 shares during the period. Ninety One North America Inc.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $21,437,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Activest Wealth Management raised 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 period. City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC raised 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total value of $4,334,896.35. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 87,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MMC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 18th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 18th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $238.76.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE:MMC opened at $201.65 on Wednesday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $203.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $217.29. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $195.01 and a 52 week high of $248.00. The company has a market capitalization of $99.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.81. 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 (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 16.00%.The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.92 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.41 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be issued a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 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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