Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC Holdings Cut by Nicolet Bankshares Inc.

Key Points

• Nicolet Bankshares Inc. has reduced its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 34.9%, now holding 3,026 shares valued at $738,000.
• Institutional investors own 87.99% of Marsh & McLennan Companies' stock, with several hedge funds adjusting their stakes during the first quarter.
• The company recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.90 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 1.7%.

Nicolet Bankshares Inc. lessened its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 34.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,026 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 1,624 shares during the period. Nicolet Bankshares Inc.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $738,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MMC. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. City Holding Co. acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 61.0% during the 1st quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 169 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded down $0.73 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $205.71. 2,404,938 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,159,200. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.27 and a 52-week high of $248.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The company has a fifty day moving average of $209.38 and a 200-day moving average of $222.24.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 earnings per share (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 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.41 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast 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 was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 24th were issued a $0.90 dividend. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 24th. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is 43.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price 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. Citigroup initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 target price on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 target price on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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, July 21st. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $238.76.

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.