Whittier Trust Co. Has $38.66 Million Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Whittier Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 0.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 158,423 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,294 shares during the quarter. 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 institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Parisi Gray Wealth Management bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth about $947,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 101.7% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 103,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,270,000 after acquiring an additional 52,218 shares in the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 101.4% during the first quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 7,136 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,741,000 after acquiring an additional 3,593 shares in the last quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 63,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,447,000 after buying an additional 1,288 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 23.1% in the 1st quarter. US Asset Management LLC now owns 6,847 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,671,000 after buying an additional 1,284 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $213.62 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $222.44 and a 200 day moving average of $224.83. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $105.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.80. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $207.21 and a 12-month high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 in the previous year, the business posted $2.89 earnings per share. On average, 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 company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 24th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.69%. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 44.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on 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. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $228.00 to $229.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned 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.