Trexquant Investment LP Acquires Shares of 17,432 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Trexquant Investment LP has acquired 17,432 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., valued at approximately $4.25 million, reflecting growing institutional interest in the company.
• Marsh & McLennan recently announced a dividend increase from $0.82 to $0.90 per quarter, with an annualized yield of 1.8%.
• Research analysts have mixed views on Marsh & McLennan's stock, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and a target price of $238.76.

Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 17,432 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,254,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MMC. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. City Holding Co. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 61.0% during 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 during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on 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 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Citigroup started 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 on the stock. UBS Group cut their price target 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective 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. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $238.76.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded up $0.90 on Thursday, hitting $206.17. 2,608,470 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,257,635. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $208.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $221.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The company has a market cap of $101.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.81. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.27 and a 12-month high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 quarterly revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.41 EPS. Analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 24th were given a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 24th. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is 43.17%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.