Plato Investment Management Ltd Decreases Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Plato Investment Management Ltd cut its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 2.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 16,779 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 354 shares during the period. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $3,655,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 45,321,445 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,059,792,000 after purchasing an additional 581,930 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 54.2% in 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 purchasing an additional 4,505,548 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.5% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,345,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,060,362,000 after purchasing an additional 340,907 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at about $1,038,594,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.4% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,858,136 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $697,471,000 after purchasing an additional 65,778 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC stock opened at $178.12 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $87.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.81. The business’s 50 day moving average is $198.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $210.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $176.10 and a 12-month high of $248.00.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be given 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 2.0%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on MMC shares. Barclays dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $233.00 to $221.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price 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. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Citigroup started coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $226.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $243.00 to $237.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 17th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $234.07.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total transaction of $4,334,896.35. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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.