Townsquare Capital LLC Grows Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Key Points

• Townsquare Capital LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 13.5% during the first quarter, acquiring an additional 1,593 shares, bringing its total holdings to 13,354 shares valued at approximately $3.26 million.
• Marsh & McLennan Companies recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.90 per share, a notable increase from the previous $0.82 dividend, resulting in an annualized yield of 1.8%.
• Analysts have issued mixed ratings on Marsh & McLennan, with the stock holding an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $239.79.

Townsquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 13.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,354 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,593 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $3,259,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 45,321,445 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $11,059,792,000 after acquiring an additional 581,930 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,151,020 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,156,179,000 after purchasing an additional 96,750 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,934,340 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,260,513,000 after purchasing an additional 726,713 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 13.2% during 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. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.2% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 4,581,773 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $973,214,000 after purchasing an additional 308,759 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMC traded up $1.26 on Tuesday, reaching $204.61. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,468,833 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,916,015. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.27 and a 52-week high of $248.00. The company has a market cap of $100.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.53, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $212.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $223.64. 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 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 business had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.92 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.41 EPS. The business's revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 24th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 43.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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 report on Friday, July 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.