Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Purchased by Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ

Key Points

• Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.9%, owning 165,698 shares valued at approximately $40.4 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend increase from $0.82 to $0.90 per share, reflecting a yield of 1.73% and a dividend payout ratio of 39.09%.
• Marsh & McLennan Companies reported $2.72 EPS for the most recent quarter, exceeding estimates by $0.06, with a revenue of $6.97 billion.

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 2.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 165,698 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,678 shares during the period. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $40,435,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,856,000 after purchasing an additional 2,960 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,178,000. LPL Financial LLC boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 23.6% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 294,788 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $62,669,000 after purchasing an additional 56,295 shares in the last quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 145.0% during the fourth quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE now owns 8,688 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,846,000 after purchasing an additional 5,142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TIAA Trust National Association boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 10,970 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,330,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE:MMC opened at $208.43 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $207.21 and a one year high of $248.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.20. The stock has a market cap of $102.47 billion, a PE ratio of 24.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $219.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $224.61.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts' expectations of $6.92 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 16.00%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.41 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 24th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.73%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MMC. UBS Group lowered their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on 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. Barclays decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $239.79.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

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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