Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC Shares Sold by USS Investment Management Ltd

Key Points

• USS Investment Management Ltd has reduced its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 16.1%, selling 15,300 shares during the first quarter, leaving them with 79,845 shares valued at approximately $19.48 million.
• Analysts have recently downgraded price targets for Marsh & McLennan, with Barclays lowering theirs from $249.00 to $233.00, as the stock maintains an average rating of "Hold" with a consensus target price of $238.76.
• The company has increased its quarterly dividend from $0.82 to $0.90, reflecting a commitment to returning value to its shareholders, with an annualized yield of 1.8%.

USS Investment Management Ltd lowered its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 16.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 79,845 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 15,300 shares during the period. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $19,484,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2,775.0% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 115 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, City Holding Co. bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MMC has been the subject of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 18th. 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 decreased their price target 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. Barclays reduced 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. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 target price for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $238.76.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total transaction of $4,334,896.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 1.6%

MMC stock traded down $3.21 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $198.67. 2,529,194 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,252,060. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $196.27 and a one year high of $248.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.67 billion, a PE ratio of 23.82, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.81. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $207.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $221.00.

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 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.41 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

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

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.