Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC Shares Sold by Wealthfront Advisers LLC

Wealthfront Advisers LLC decreased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 7.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 60,602 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 5,120 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $13,250,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MMC. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 54.2% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,814,788 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,127,193,000 after purchasing an additional 4,505,548 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth about $1,038,594,000. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 48,212.9% during the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,629,187 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $574,845,000 after buying an additional 2,623,745 shares in the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 153.6% during the 1st quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 2,370,678 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $578,517,000 after buying an additional 1,436,044 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5,035.9% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 808,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $176,836,000 after buying an additional 793,052 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

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 value of $4,334,896.35. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $186.59 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.37, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 0.81. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $185.12 and a fifty-two week high of $248.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $201.17 and a 200 day moving average of $212.53.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 EPS 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 business had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.34 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.63 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be paid a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 2nd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMC has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $200.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $256.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $248.00 to $242.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Citigroup started coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $226.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $222.00 to $212.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 17th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $234.07.

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.