S Bank Fund Management Ltd Makes New $1.91 Million Investment in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Key Points

• S Bank Fund Management Ltd acquired 7,836 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, valued at approximately $1.9 million, as part of their first-quarter investment strategy.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend from $0.82 to $0.90, reflecting a positive change and an annualized yield of 1.8%.
• Analysts have set a consensus price target of $239.79 for Marsh & McLennan, with ratings varying from sell to buy across research firms.

S Bank Fund Management Ltd purchased a new stake 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 and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 7,836 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,912,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MMC. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. City Holding Co. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at about $37,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MMC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 21st. Barclays decreased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday. They set an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on 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 analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $239.94.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.1%

MMC traded up $0.30 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $207.29. The stock had a trading volume of 1,767,649 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,732,376. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.20. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $211.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $223.33. 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 data on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 business 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 company earned $2.41 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 24th were issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 24th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.