Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.04 EPS

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04, RTT News reports. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.89 earnings per share.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE MMC traded up $5.41 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $217.51. The company had a trading volume of 775,140 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,857,084. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a fifty-two week low of $196.72 and a fifty-two week high of $248.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The stock has a market cap of $107.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $232.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $224.74.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $239.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total value of $550,302.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,522 shares in the company, valued at $3,326,412. This represents a 14.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 51.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,738 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,960 shares during the quarter. Brighton Jones LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,856,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.