Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Acquired by PFG Advisors

PFG Advisors grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 52.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,599 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,004 shares during the quarter. PFG Advisors' holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $2,831,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Defined Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.5% in the first quarter. Defined Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,198 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $780,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 7,479 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,825,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Opus Capital Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.6% during the first quarter. Opus Capital Group LLC now owns 1,926 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $470,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Court Place Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.0% in the first quarter. Court Place Advisors LLC now owns 1,248 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $305,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DF Dent & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. now owns 5,762 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,224,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of MMC traded up $2.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $210.39. 2,290,058 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,449,143. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $219.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $224.61. The stock has a market cap of $103.43 billion, a PE ratio of 25.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.80. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $207.21 and a twelve month high of $248.00. 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 (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.66 by $0.06. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.41 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.71%. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 24th. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on MMC shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on 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. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Barclays dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target 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. Two investment 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, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $239.79.

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.