Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Acquires 65,642 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 7.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 957,356 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 65,642 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $209,301,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.6% in the first quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,253 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 7,479 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,825,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC raised its position 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 valued at $1,102,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.9% in the first 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 increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% in the first quarter. McAdam LLC now owns 3,948 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $963,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MMC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Friday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $200.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $233.00 to $221.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $213.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $248.00 to $242.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $228.63.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $180.14 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $174.18 and a 52-week high of $248.00. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $195.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $209.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.78.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.60% and a return on equity of 31.79%. The business had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.63 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

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 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 yield of 2.0%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.17%.

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.