Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 21,416 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Franklin Resources Inc. decreased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,521,433 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 21,416 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.31% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $332,646,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Activest Wealth Management grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2,775.0% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 115 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 363.3% in the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 139 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, Access Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $181.08 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $190.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $206.46. The stock has a market cap of $88.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.71, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.78. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $174.18 and a fifty-two week high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.34 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.79% and a net margin of 15.60%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.63 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 2nd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 43.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MMC shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $226.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $248.00 to $242.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $222.00 to $212.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $209.00 to $191.00 in a report on Friday, October 17th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $227.69.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,031,597.65. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.