TCW Group Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

TCW Group Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 1.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 11,194 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 158 shares during the period. TCW Group Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $2,497,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% during the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 100.0% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MMC stock opened at $215.92 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $106.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.59, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.94. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $184.28 and a twelve month high of $235.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $224.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $220.66.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $5.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.71 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.82% and a return on equity of 32.65%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. Analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 4th were issued a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.51%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 40.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total transaction of $553,875.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 48,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,756,030.95. This trade represents a 4.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MMC. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Barclays lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $228.13.

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.