Ashton Thomas Securities LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC lowered its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,600 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 67 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $787,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.2% during the second quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 64,554 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,114,000 after acquiring an additional 5,463 shares in the last quarter. Tower View Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.3% during the second quarter. Tower View Wealth Management LLC now owns 30,708 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,714,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $283,000. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% during the second quarter. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. now owns 115,382 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,227,000 after purchasing an additional 1,077 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Access Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.7% during the second quarter. Access Financial Services Inc. now owns 7,056 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,543,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE:MMC opened at $199.71 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $203.14 and a 200 day moving average of $216.95. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $195.01 and a 52 week high of $248.00. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $98.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.81.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period in the prior year, the business posted $2.41 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $256.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 18th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $226.00 price objective for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 7th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $238.76.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total transaction of $4,334,896.35. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. The trade was a 19.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

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.