Ninety One UK Ltd Increases Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Ninety One UK Ltd increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.6%, now holding over 2.5 million shares worth approximately $552 million, making it the 22nd largest position in their portfolio.
• CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares for about $4.3 million, reducing his ownership by 19.38% to around 87,681 shares valued at approximately $18 million.
• Marsh & McLennan announced a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share, which is set to be paid out on November 14th, indicating a 1.8% annual yield based on current stock prices.

Ninety One UK Ltd lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 6.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,527,744 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 157,066 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises 1.3% of Ninety One UK Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Ninety One UK Ltd owned 0.51% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $552,666,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 54.2% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,814,788 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,127,193,000 after purchasing an additional 4,505,548 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth about $1,038,594,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5,035.9% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 808,800 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $176,836,000 after acquiring an additional 793,052 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 45,321,445 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $11,059,792,000 after acquiring an additional 581,930 shares during the period. Finally, Sarasin & Partners LLP acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth about $122,291,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total value of $4,334,896.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,681 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:MMC opened at $201.65 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $203.48 and a 200-day moving average of $217.29. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $195.01 and a 1 year high of $248.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.66 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 43.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 21st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of "Hold" and an average 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.

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