Mizuho Securities USA LLC Sells 7,222 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Key Points

• Mizuho Securities USA LLC reduced its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 15.5%, owning 39,325 shares valued at $9,596,000 after selling 7,222 shares.
• Marsh & McLennan recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share, up from the previous $0.82, reflecting a 1.8% yield.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Marsh & McLennan, with two sell ratings, seven holds, and five buy ratings, while the average target price is $239.79.

Mizuho Securities USA LLC trimmed its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 15.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 39,325 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 7,222 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $9,596,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Fiduciary Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth about $1,059,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 22,598 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $5,515,000 after buying an additional 382 shares during the period. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 3,795 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $926,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the period. Cynosure Group LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 2,067 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $504,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 13.5% during the 1st quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 13,354 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,259,000 after purchasing an additional 1,593 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE MMC traded down $0.30 on Monday, reaching $203.37. 2,715,884 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,900,250. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $196.27 and a one year high of $248.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.98 billion, a PE ratio of 24.39, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.77. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $213.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $223.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.41 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 is an increase 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 43.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on MMC shares. 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective 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. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $239.79.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.