Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Stock Position Reduced by Phoenix Financial Ltd.

Key Points

• Phoenix Financial Ltd. reduced its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 12.3%, selling 6,288 shares to own 45,029 shares valued at approximately $10.99 million.
• Research firms have adjusted price targets for the company, with Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowering their target from $214 to $210 and Wells Fargo decreasing theirs from $229 to $226.
• Marsh & McLennan Companies recently announced a quarterly dividend increase from $0.82 to $0.90 per share, reflecting a 1.73% yield.

Phoenix Financial Ltd. cut its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 12.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 45,029 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 6,288 shares during the period. Phoenix Financial Ltd.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $10,988,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. City Holding Co. bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth approximately $37,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, First Pacific Financial grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 133.8% in the first quarter. First Pacific Financial now owns 187 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on MMC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Barclays decreased their price objective 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. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $239.79.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

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

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.66 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.92 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.41 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors 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 yield of 1.73%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 24th. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.09%.

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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