Stokes Capital Advisors LLC Purchases 2,555 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Stokes Capital Advisors LLC increased its stock position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.5%, acquiring an additional 2,555 shares, resulting in a total of 41,749 shares worth approximately $9.1 million.
• Several analysts have updated price targets for Marsh & McLennan, with Cantor Fitzgerald setting an "overweight" rating at a target price of $256.00, while Morgan Stanley reduced their target to $220.00.
• The company announced a dividend increase to $0.90 per share, reflecting a yield of 1.8%, up from the previous dividend of $0.82.

Stokes Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,749 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 2,555 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for approximately 2.2% of Stokes Capital Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Stokes Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $9,128,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 54.2% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,814,788 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,127,193,000 after purchasing an additional 4,505,548 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $1,038,594,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 32,120.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,515,670 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $369,869,000 after purchasing an additional 1,510,966 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 153.6% in the 1st quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 2,370,678 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $578,517,000 after purchasing an additional 1,436,044 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 13.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 5,218,488 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,108,459,000 after purchasing an additional 609,602 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MMC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of 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 dropped their price objective on shares of 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. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 price objective for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective 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. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 target price for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $238.76.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE:MMC traded down $1.29 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $196.11. 1,455,507 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,946,792. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $195.01 and a 12 month high of $248.00. The company has a fifty day moving average of $205.52 and a 200 day moving average of $219.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market cap of $96.41 billion, a PE ratio of 23.51, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.81.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.92 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.41 EPS. The company's revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be paid a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 2nd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.17%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total value of $4,334,896.35. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 87,681 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

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.