Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC Shares Bought by Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC

Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 21,766.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,560 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,530 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,434,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2,775.0% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 115 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 363.3% in the second 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 period. Finally, Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on MMC shares. Barclays raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $221.00 to $206.00 in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $256.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $200.00 to $195.00 in a report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective 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. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $224.56.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $182.66 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $189.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $205.19. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $174.18 and a 52 week high of $248.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.49 billion, a PE ratio of 21.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.78.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released 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 return on equity of 31.79% and a net margin of 15.60%.The company had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.63 earnings per share. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd were issued a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 2nd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 43.17%.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 87,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,031,597.65. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.