Stephens Inc. AR Boosts Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Stephens Inc. AR boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,932 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $860,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.6% during the first quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,253 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $306,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 7,479 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,825,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,517 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,102,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.9% during the 1st quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,263 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $308,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McAdam LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. McAdam LLC now owns 3,948 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $963,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total transaction 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 represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $186.59 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $201.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $212.70. The company has a market capitalization of $91.41 billion, a PE ratio of 22.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.81. 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 $185.12 and a 52 week high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.63 EPS. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.17%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MMC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $209.00 to $191.00 in a report on Friday, October 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $200.00 to $195.00 in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Citigroup started coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $226.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $243.00 to $237.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $222.00 to $212.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $234.07.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.