Whittier Trust Co. Boosts Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Whittier Trust Co. lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 0.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 158,423 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,294 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $38,659,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Defined Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.5% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. Opus Capital Group LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Opus Capital Group LLC now owns 1,926 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $470,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Court Place Advisors LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Court Place Advisors LLC now owns 1,248 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $305,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. now owns 5,762 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,224,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management now owns 1,260 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $268,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MMC traded up $0.95 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $211.85. 3,331,013 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,992,772. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The company has a market capitalization of $104.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.96, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.80. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $207.21 and a 52-week high of $248.00. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $221.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $224.64.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.08 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 32.19%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.89 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 24th will be issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.70%. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 24th. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price objective on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $215.00 to $214.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $240.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.