Soundwatch Capital LLC Purchases Shares of 2,565,037 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Soundwatch Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 2,565,037 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $560,820,000. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for 2.6% of Soundwatch Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Soundwatch Capital LLC owned 0.52% of Marsh & McLennan Companies as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2,775.0% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 115 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 363.3% in the 2nd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 139 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 61.0% during the first quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $258.00 to $257.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $209.00 to $191.00 in a research note on Friday, October 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $200.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $226.00 target price on the stock. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $227.69.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total value of $4,334,896.35. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 87,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $181.08 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization 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. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $174.18 and a 52 week high of $248.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $190.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $206.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd were given a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 43.17%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

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.