DNB Asset Management AS Sells 17,513 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

DNB Asset Management AS decreased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 12.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 117,942 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 17,513 shares during the quarter. DNB Asset Management AS’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $25,787,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Magnetar Financial LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth $263,000. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.6% in the second quarter. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. now owns 1,940 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $424,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 1,491,600 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $326,123,000 after buying an additional 106,500 shares in the last quarter. NorthStar Asset Management LLC NJ lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.9% during the second quarter. NorthStar Asset Management LLC NJ now owns 7,078 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,548,000 after acquiring an additional 576 shares during the period. Finally, Prudential PLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 15.9% in the 2nd quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 106,302 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $23,242,000 after purchasing an additional 14,589 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the company’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 transaction of $4,334,896.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 87,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $181.08 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The company has a market capitalization of $88.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.71, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.78. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $190.92 and its 200-day moving average is $206.46. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $174.18 and a 12 month high of $248.00.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 2nd were paid a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 2nd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 43.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MMC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $209.00 to $191.00 in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $226.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $256.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $222.00 to $212.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $227.69.

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.