Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Purchased by Kinsale Capital Group Inc.

Kinsale Capital Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 22.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,124 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,279 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises 1.7% of Kinsale Capital Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Kinsale Capital Group Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $4,873,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MMC. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,127 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $203,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. AGF Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,953,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 11,912 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,257,000 after purchasing an additional 2,148 shares during the period. First United Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Quotient Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $361,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $231.84 on Wednesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $184.02 and a one year high of $232.32. The company has a market cap of $114.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.42, a PEG ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.17. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $221.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $211.04.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 15th were given a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 25th. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 41.37%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on MMC shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Roth Mkm raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Barclays began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $236.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $215.53.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

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

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.