Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA Boosts Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 18.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 141,295 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,384 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $33,441,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. City Holding Co. bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC grew its position 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 valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.2%

MMC stock opened at $199.99 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $98.32 billion, a PE ratio of 23.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.81. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $203.66 and a 200 day moving average of $217.40. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $195.01 and a 52 week high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.66 by $0.06. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 31.90%. The company had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.92 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.41 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 43.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the firm’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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 87,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,031,597.65. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MMC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 7th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $256.00 target price on the stock. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $238.76.

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.