Vanguard Group Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.3%, now holding approximately 45.3 million shares valued at over $11 billion.
• Marsh & McLennan Companies recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.90 per share, reflecting a positive change from its previous dividend of $0.82.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on the stock, with two sell ratings, seven hold ratings, and five buy ratings, and an average price target of $239.79.

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 1.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,321,445 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 581,930 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 9.20% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $11,059,792,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth about $25,000. City Holding Co. purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MMC traded down $0.80 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $203.10. 3,026,763 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,861,376. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.77. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $214.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $223.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.27 and a 1-year high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 16.00%. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.92 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.41 earnings per share. Marsh & McLennan Companies's quarterly revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MMC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Barclays lowered their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 7th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut 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 research note on Friday, July 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $239.79.

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.