Optimize Financial Inc Buys New Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Optimize Financial Inc has acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. by purchasing 1,573 shares valued at approximately $384,000 during the first quarter.
• Hedge funds have recently increased their investments in Marsh & McLennan, with significant acquisitions from firms like Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC and Penserra Capital Management LLC.
• Analysts have issued mixed ratings for Marsh & McLennan, with a consensus target price of $238.76 and a majority recommending a "Hold" rating as the firm navigates through recent price adjustments and earnings performance.

Optimize Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,573 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $384,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter worth $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Activest Wealth Management grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2,775.0% during the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 115 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, City Holding Co. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $37,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total transaction of $4,334,896.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 87,681 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,031,597.65. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MMC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Citigroup initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $238.76.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMC traded down $0.49 on Friday, hitting $202.97. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,652,548 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,856,531. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.27 and a 12 month high of $248.00. The company has a market capitalization of $99.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.81. The stock's 50-day moving average is $206.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $220.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.20.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $2.66 by $0.06. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 16.00%.The company had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.92 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.41 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 24th. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.17%.

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.