Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Acquired by XTX Topco Ltd

Key Points

• XTX Topco Ltd significantly increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1,004.7%, acquiring an additional 14,357 shares during the first quarter, bringing its total holdings to 15,786 shares worth approximately $3.85 million.
• Marsh & McLennan Companies reported $2.72 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations and demonstrating a revenue increase of 12.1% year-over-year.
• The company recently raised its quarterly dividend from $0.82 to $0.90 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 1.74%, with a payout ratio of 43.17%.

XTX Topco Ltd boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 1,004.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,786 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 14,357 shares during the quarter. XTX Topco Ltd's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $3,852,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,856,000 after acquiring an additional 2,960 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $37,178,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $369,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1,644.1% in the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 1,622 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $345,000 after acquiring an additional 1,529 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Level Four Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,497 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $743,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE MMC traded down $2.60 on Wednesday, hitting $200.32. The company had a trading volume of 3,080,471 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,570,879. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $199.57 and a 12-month high of $248.00. The business has a 50 day moving average of $217.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $224.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.02, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.80.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.66 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.92 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 16.00%. The company's revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.41 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 24th. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group reduced their price objective on 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. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price 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. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $239.79.

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.