Voya Investment Management LLC Boosts Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Voya Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 58.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 321,188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 118,748 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC owned 0.07% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $78,380,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.6% during the first quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,253 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $306,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Defined Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.5% during the first quarter. Defined Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,198 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $780,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.6% during the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 7,479 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,825,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.1% during the first quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,517 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,102,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, E Fund Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.9% during the first quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,263 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $308,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total value of $4,334,896.35. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of MMC stock opened at $202.97 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.27 and a 12-month high of $248.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $206.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $220.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.81.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.66 by $0.06. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 16.00%.The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.92 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.41 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 24th were issued a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 24th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 43.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $256.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 21st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $238.76.

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.