Kinsale Capital Group Inc. Has $8.77 Million Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Key Points

• Kinsale Capital Group Inc. increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 16.8% during the first quarter, owning a total of 35,948 shares valued at approximately $8.77 million.
• Multiple institutional investors recently increased their positions in Marsh & McLennan, with 87.99% of the stock now owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
• Marsh & McLennan reported a quarterly earnings per share of $2.72, exceeding analysts' estimates, and declared an increased quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share.

Kinsale Capital Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 16.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,948 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,170 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for approximately 2.2% of Kinsale Capital Group Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Kinsale Capital Group Inc.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $8,772,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MMC. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,050,565 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,554,841,000 after buying an additional 145,134 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,151,020 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,156,179,000 after acquiring an additional 96,750 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,934,340 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,260,513,000 after acquiring an additional 726,713 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,218,488 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,108,459,000 after acquiring an additional 609,602 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 4,581,773 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $973,214,000 after acquiring an additional 308,759 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 1.9%

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded down $4.04 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $206.36. 2,483,152 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,444,845. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $205.89 and a fifty-two week high of $248.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.74, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.80. The firm's 50 day moving average is $218.98 and its 200-day moving average is $224.77.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced 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 business had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.92 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.41 EPS. Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 24th. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 7th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of 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 raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.