Markel Group Inc. Purchases 8,000 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Markel Group Inc. grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 1.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 743,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,000 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for approximately 1.6% of Markel Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Markel Group Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $181,436,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MMC. Parisi Gray Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter worth approximately $947,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 101.7% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 103,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,270,000 after acquiring an additional 52,218 shares during the period. Penserra Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 101.4% in the 1st quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 7,136 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,741,000 after acquiring an additional 3,593 shares in the last quarter. US Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 23.1% during the 1st quarter. US Asset Management LLC now owns 6,847 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,671,000 after acquiring an additional 1,284 shares during the period. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.1% in the first quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 63,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $15,447,000 after purchasing an additional 1,288 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $228.00 to $229.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price target for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $215.00 to $214.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $240.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC stock opened at $210.94 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $103.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.85, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $221.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $224.64. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $207.21 and a 12 month high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.66 by $0.06. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 32.19%. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.41 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 24th will be given a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.71%. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 24th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.95%.

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.