Park Avenue Securities LLC Makes New Investment in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Park Avenue Securities LLC has acquired 19,289 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., valued at approximately $4.2 million, during the second quarter.
• CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the company's stock, representing a 19.38% decrease in his position, with the total transaction amounting to over $4.3 million.
• Recent analyst ratings show a mix of opinions on the stock, with six analysts rating it as Buy, ten as Hold, and two as Sell, while the average price target is $238.76.

Park Avenue Securities LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 19,289 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,217,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth $28,000. Activest Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2,775.0% in the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 115 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. City Holding Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 61.0% in the first quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 169 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. 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 Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total transaction of $4,334,896.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 87,681 shares in the company, valued at $18,031,597.65. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. 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 insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MMC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of 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. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 price objective for the company. 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 note on Monday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $238.76.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $197.03 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $204.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $218.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.86 billion, a PE ratio of 23.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $195.01 and a 12-month high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its 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. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.92 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The business's revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.41 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.

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