Rhumbline Advisers Reduces Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Rhumbline Advisers lessened its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 948,045 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 41,917 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers’ holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $207,280,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 54.2% during the 1st 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 buying an additional 4,505,548 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,038,594,000. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 48,212.9% in the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,629,187 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $574,845,000 after acquiring an additional 2,623,745 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,158,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,092,108,000 after purchasing an additional 837,117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5,035.9% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 808,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $176,836,000 after purchasing an additional 793,052 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of MMC opened at $181.08 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $190.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $206.46. The stock has a market cap of $88.71 billion, a PE ratio of 21.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $174.18 and a 52-week high of $248.00.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 2nd were given a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date was 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

MMC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $213.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and set a $181.00 target price (down from $243.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Wolfe Research began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Citigroup assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $226.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $221.00 to $206.00 in a research report on Thursday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $227.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total value of $4,334,896.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,681 shares in the company, valued at $18,031,597.65. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.