Wellington Management Group LLP Purchases 4,505,548 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Key Points

• Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 54.2%, acquiring an additional 4,505,548 shares for a total of approximately 12.8 million shares, representing about 2.60% of the company's stock valued at $3.1 billion.
• Marsh & McLennan's most recent earnings report showed a 12.1% revenue increase year-over-year, with EPS exceeding analyst expectations at $2.72 compared to a forecast of $2.66.
• The company recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.90 per share, up from the previous $0.82, marking a 1.7% yield and a payout ratio of 43.17%.

Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 54.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,814,788 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,505,548 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP owned about 2.60% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $3,127,193,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. City Holding Co. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. 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. UBS Group lowered their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on 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. Citigroup assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $226.00 price target for the company. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $256.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $239.94.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MMC opened at $207.29 on Monday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.27 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. The company has a market capitalization of $101.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.77. The business has a 50-day moving average of $211.14 and a 200-day moving average of $223.38.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. 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 the consensus estimate of $6.92 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.41 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 24th. 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.

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