Valeo Financial Advisors LLC Raises Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by a staggering 48,212.9%, owning over 2.6 million shares valued at approximately $574.8 million, making it the firm's 12th largest holding.
• CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of Marsh & McLennan, resulting in a 19.38% decrease in his ownership, with remaining shares valued at over $18 million.
• Recent analyst reports have led to multiple target price reductions for Marsh & McLennan, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $238.76.

Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 48,212.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,629,187 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,623,745 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for about 1.8% of Valeo Financial Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC owned about 0.53% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $574,845,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,253 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Defined Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.5% during the first quarter. Defined Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,198 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $780,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.6% in the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 7,479 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,825,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,517 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,102,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, E Fund Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.9% in the first quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,263 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the company'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. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MMC. Barclays cut 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 report on Monday, July 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 18th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $238.76.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $201.25 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $98.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.13, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $202.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $216.51. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $195.01 and a 1 year high of $248.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.66 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.92 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 16.00%.Marsh & McLennan Companies's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.41 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.

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