Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Buys 68,439 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank has increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, owning 421,095 shares worth approximately $102.76 million after acquiring an additional 68,439 shares in Q1.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share, up from the previous dividend of $0.82, representing an annual yield of 1.71%.
• Marsh & McLennan's recent earnings report showed a 12.1% increase in revenue year-over-year, with earnings per share of $2.72, exceeding estimates by $0.06.

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 19.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 421,095 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 68,439 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned 0.09% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $102,760,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Defined Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.5% during the first quarter. Defined Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,198 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $780,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.6% during the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 7,479 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,825,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Opus Capital Group LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.6% during the first quarter. Opus Capital Group LLC now owns 1,926 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $470,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Court Place Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.0% during the first quarter. Court Place Advisors LLC now owns 1,248 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $305,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DF Dent & Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. now owns 5,762 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,224,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group dropped their target price 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $239.79.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded down $1.97 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $200.95. 980,492 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,250,145. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $200.84 and a one year high of $248.00. The company has a market cap of $98.79 billion, a PE ratio of 24.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $218.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $224.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

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 return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 16.00%. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.92 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.41 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 24th will be given a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 24th. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.