Stephens Inc. AR Increases Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Stephens Inc. AR grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,932 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $860,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MMC. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 54.2% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,814,788 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,127,193,000 after acquiring an additional 4,505,548 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at $1,038,594,000. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 48,212.9% during the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,629,187 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $574,845,000 after acquiring an additional 2,623,745 shares in the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 153.6% in the 1st quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 2,370,678 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $578,517,000 after buying an additional 1,436,044 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5,035.9% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 808,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $176,836,000 after buying an additional 793,052 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total transaction of $4,334,896.35. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 87,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.8%

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $186.59 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $201.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $212.70. The company has a market cap of $91.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.81. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $185.12 and a 52-week high of $248.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.60% and a return on equity of 31.79%. The company had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.63 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MMC shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $200.00 to $195.00 in a report on Monday, October 20th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $243.00 to $237.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $256.00 price target for the company. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $234.07.

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.