MBB Public Markets I LLC Acquires New Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• MBB Public Markets I LLC acquired a new stake of 1,440 shares in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., valued at approximately $351,000 during the first quarter.
• Several institutional investors, including Wellington Management and GAMMA Investing, significantly increased their stakes, with Wellington now holding over 12.8 million shares.
• Marsh & McLennan Companies recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.90 per share, representing a 9.8% increase from the previous quarter and reflecting a 1.8% annual yield.

MBB Public Markets I LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,440 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $351,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Activest Wealth Management grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2,775.0% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 115 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter worth $37,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMC traded down $3.21 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $198.67. The stock had a trading volume of 2,529,194 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,767,458. The company's 50-day moving average price is $207.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $220.84. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $196.27 and a fifty-two week high of $248.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The company has a market capitalization of $97.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.81.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.66 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.92 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 16.00%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.41 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 24th were given a $0.90 dividend. 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 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 24th. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is 43.17%.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total transaction of $4,334,896.35. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on MMC. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 18th. 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 on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 price target for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 price objective on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $238.76.

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.