Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.02 EPS

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.02, RTT News reports. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.97% and a return on equity of 33.92%. The company had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $224.66 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The stock has a market cap of $110.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.51, a PEG ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.94. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $225.28 and its 200 day moving average is $214.91. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 1 year low of $184.02 and a 1 year high of $232.32.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, October 4th will be paid a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 4th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 41.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 10,265 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 33,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,625,035.98. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 10,265 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 33,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,625,035.98. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 4,101 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.77, for a total transaction of $925,882.77. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $659,925.71. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 19,566 shares of company stock worth $4,420,137. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MMC. EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 29.4% in the 4th quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,703 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $323,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,888,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 16.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,094 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $431,000 after buying an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 46.5% during the 1st quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 2,648 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $545,000 after buying an additional 840 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MMC. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday. Barclays began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $236.00 price objective on the stock. Roth Mkm boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $219.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $211.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $220.13.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.