Ninety One SA PTY Ltd Invests $795,000 in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

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

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Ninety One UK Ltd boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 153.6% during the 1st quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 2,370,678 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $578,517,000 after purchasing an additional 1,436,044 shares during the period. Ninety One North America Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $16,271,000. Capital Management Associates Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $205,000. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 41,202 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $10,055,000 after acquiring an additional 688 shares during the period. Finally, Washington Trust Bank lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.4% during the first quarter. Washington Trust Bank now owns 67,589 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $16,494,000 after purchasing an additional 4,657 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of MMC traded up $0.44 on Thursday, reaching $214.61. 1,416,512 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,971,217. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $207.21 and a 12 month high of $248.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $105.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $223.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $224.68.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 32.19%. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.89 earnings per share. Research 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 24th will be given a dividend of $0.90 per share. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price target on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $215.00 to $214.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average 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.