Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Hits New 1-Year High at $228.78

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $228.78 and last traded at $228.43, with a volume of 92215 shares. The stock had previously closed at $227.51.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on MMC. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $214.25.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 1.0 %

The firm has a market cap of $113.17 billion, a PE ratio of 28.87, a PEG ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.94. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $218.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $209.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.17.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.31 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 33.92% and a net margin of 16.97%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.20 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Investors of record on Monday, July 15th were issued a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 25th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 41.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 10,265 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.41, for a total transaction of $2,324,098.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 33,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,625,035.98. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 10,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.41, for a total transaction of $2,324,098.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 33,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,625,035.98. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 4,101 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.77, for a total transaction of $925,882.77. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $659,925.71. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 27,735 shares of company stock valued at $6,151,377. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Parnassus Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 4,259,567 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $807,060,000 after buying an additional 11,459 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 925,411 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $195,003,000 after acquiring an additional 23,133 shares during the period. Veritas Investment Partners UK Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. Veritas Investment Partners UK Ltd. now owns 1,404,598 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $266,134,000 after acquiring an additional 203,017 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 12.4% in the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 906,976 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $187,218,000 after purchasing an additional 100,378 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Weiss Asset Management LP purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $3,465,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc, a professional services company, provides advice and solutions to clients in the areas of risk, strategy, and people worldwide. It operates through Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment offers risk management services, such as risk advice, risk transfer, and risk control and mitigation solutions, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking, strategic advisory services, and analytics solutions, and insurance program management services.