Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Lowers Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lessened its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 1.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,069,159 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 195,693 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up about 0.7% of Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned 2.25% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $2,332,493,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,048,077,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 32.7% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,243,245 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,940,789,000 after purchasing an additional 2,526,701 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4,991.4% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 693,087 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $146,047,000 after buying an additional 679,474 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 229.6% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 932,452 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $192,066,000 after buying an additional 649,505 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 322.7% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 761,238 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $144,232,000 after acquiring an additional 581,131 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.2 %

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $2.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $6.22 billion for 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 quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.20 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,169 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $477,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,861 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,609,420. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,169 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $477,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,609,420. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 4,101 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.77, for a total value of $925,882.77. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $659,925.71. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,735 shares of company stock valued at $4,897,317 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

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.