Coho Partners Ltd. Sells 74,033 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Coho Partners Ltd. lessened its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 27.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 199,808 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 74,033 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for about 3.3% of Coho Partners Ltd.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Coho Partners Ltd.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $43,686,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. Activest Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2,775.0% in the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 115 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Capital Analysts LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 61.0% in the first quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMC opened at $186.86 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.81. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $203.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $214.58. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $185.12 and a 1-year high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.34 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.00% and a return on equity of 31.90%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.63 earnings per share. Equities 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. Investors of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be issued a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 2nd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on MMC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $248.00 to $242.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Barclays cut their price target on 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. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $258.00 to $257.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. 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 for the company. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $237.13.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 87,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.