Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Sells 249,352 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Key Points

• Mawer Investment Management Ltd. reduced its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, owning $1.46 billion worth of shares after selling 249,352 shares in the 1st quarter.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for Marsh & McLennan, with the stock currently holding an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $239.79.
• Marsh & McLennan recently announced an increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.82 to $0.90 per share, reflecting a positive change in its payout strategy.

Mawer Investment Management Ltd. decreased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 4.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,972,112 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 249,352 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for approximately 7.0% of Mawer Investment Management Ltd.'s portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. owned 1.21% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $1,457,374,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Parisi Gray Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth approximately $947,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 101.7% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 103,551 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,270,000 after buying an additional 52,218 shares during the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 101.4% during the 1st quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 7,136 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,741,000 after acquiring an additional 3,593 shares in the last quarter. US Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 23.1% in the 1st quarter. US Asset Management LLC now owns 6,847 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,671,000 after purchasing an additional 1,284 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.1% in the first quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 63,300 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $15,447,000 after purchasing an additional 1,288 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 21st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted 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. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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 note on Friday, July 18th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $239.79.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 1.8%

NYSE MMC traded down $3.70 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $202.57. 4,764,589 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,449,282. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $218.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $224.62. The stock has a market cap of $99.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.80. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $201.51 and a 1 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.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.66 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.92 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The company's revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.41 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 24th will be paid a $0.90 dividend. 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 1.78%. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is currently 43.17%.

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.