UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC Sells 37,566 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• UBS AM reduced its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. by 0.7% in Q1, totaling approximately $1.26 billion in holdings after selling 37,566 shares.
• CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares at an average price of $205.65, decreasing his ownership by 19.38% to approximately $18 million.
• The company recently increased its quarterly dividend from $0.82 to $0.90, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 1.8%.

UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lessened its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 0.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,180,922 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 37,566 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC owned 1.05% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $1,264,300,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at $330,000. Optimize Financial Inc bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at $384,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 16.4% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 12,994 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,171,000 after purchasing an additional 1,830 shares in the last quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.7% in the first quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC now owns 2,854 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $696,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MBB Public Markets I LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at $351,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.2%

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded down $0.49 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $202.97. 2,652,548 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,856,531. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.27 and a 52-week high of $248.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.81. The business's 50-day moving average price is $206.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $220.43. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.92 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.41 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 24th were paid a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 24th. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 43.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MMC shares. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced 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 report on Monday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 price objective for the company. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $238.76.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the business'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 directly owned 87,681 shares in the company, valued at $18,031,597.65. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.