Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Sold by Cornerstone Advisors LLC

Cornerstone Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 26,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,400 shares during the quarter. Cornerstone Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $5,542,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,127 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $203,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $209,000. Financial Advocates Investment Management grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 53.1% during the 4th quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 3,235 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $613,000 after purchasing an additional 1,122 shares in the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 17.9% in the 4th quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 3,776 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $715,000 after purchasing an additional 572 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,048,077,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $229.68 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $113.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.15, a PEG ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.94. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $222.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $211.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $184.02 and a 12 month high of $232.32.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $2.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.31 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.97% and a return on equity of 33.92%. The business’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.20 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 15th were paid a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 25th. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 41.37%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MMC. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $236.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, Roth Mkm raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $215.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 10,265 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.41, for a total transaction of $2,324,098.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 33,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,625,035.98. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,169 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $477,180.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,609,420. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 10,265 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.41, for a total transaction of $2,324,098.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 33,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,625,035.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 21,735 shares of company stock valued at $4,897,317 over the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc, a professional services company, provides advice and solutions to clients in the areas of risk, strategy, and people worldwide. It operates through Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment offers risk management services, such as risk advice, risk transfer, and risk control and mitigation solutions, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking, strategic advisory services, and analytics solutions, and insurance program management services.