Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Decreases Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Key Points

• Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. has reduced its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. by 4.2%, selling 4,319 shares, leaving it with 99,714 shares valued at approximately $24.3 million.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on the stock, with target prices ranging from $210.00 to $256.00 and a consensus rating of "Hold."
• Marsh & McLennan recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.90 per share, reflecting a commitment to returning value to shareholders with a 1.7% yield.

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. cut its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 4.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 99,714 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 4,319 shares during the period. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $24,333,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,856,000 after acquiring an additional 2,960 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,178,000. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $304,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 35,036 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,442,000 after buying an additional 3,448 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,376,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MMC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday. They set an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 target price for the company. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 price target for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $239.94.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $207.29 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $101.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.85, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.77. The firm's fifty day moving average is $211.14 and its 200 day moving average is $223.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.27 and a 52-week high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.66 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.92 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 31.90%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.41 earnings per share. 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 24th were paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 24th. This is a positive change 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 1.7%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is currently 43.17%.

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.

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