Ascent Group LLC Reduces Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Ascent Group LLC lowered its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 4.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 20,150 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 977 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $4,406,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 51.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 8,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,856,000 after purchasing an additional 2,960 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 39.6% during the 4th quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 3,064 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $651,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $101,000. Lmcg Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC now owns 6,756 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,649,000 after buying an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vest Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $237,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMC opened at $201.25 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $202.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $216.74. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $195.01 and a 12 month high of $248.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.20 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.81.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be paid a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 43.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on MMC. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $256.00 target price on the stock. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 7th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $226.00 target price on the stock. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 18th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $238.76.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.