Ninety One SA PTY Ltd Makes New Investment in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Ninety One SA PTY Ltd bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,254 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $795,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MMC. Parisi Gray Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $947,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 52,218 shares during the period. Annex Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake 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 during the period. US Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 23.1% in the first quarter. US Asset Management LLC now owns 6,847 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,671,000 after purchasing an additional 1,284 shares during the period. Finally, Sowell Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $977,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 1.4%

MMC stock traded down $3.09 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $211.62. The stock had a trading volume of 2,234,444 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,977,617. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $222.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $224.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The firm has a market cap of $104.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.93, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.80. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $207.21 and a twelve month high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.19% and a net margin of 16.13%. The business had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.89 EPS. As a group, research 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 24th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.70%. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $228.00 to $229.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $281.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $240.50.

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.