Entropy Technologies LP Increases Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Entropy Technologies LP raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 231.4% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 47,314 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 33,036 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up 1.1% of Entropy Technologies LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Entropy Technologies LP’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $11,546,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at $42,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays decreased their price objective 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 decreased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $239.79.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $203.70 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $100.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.77. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.27 and a 1 year high of $248.00. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $213.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $223.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.92 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.41 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal 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 $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 24th. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 43.17%.

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.