Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Cuts Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lessened its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 7.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 256,727 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 20,401 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned approximately 0.05% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $54,098,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Clear Investment Research LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 100.0% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC stock opened at $223.55 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $110.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $223.30 and a 200 day moving average price of $212.37. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $184.02 and a one year high of $232.32. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.20 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, October 4th will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 4th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.37%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $236.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Finally, Roth Mkm raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $215.53.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,169 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $477,180.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,609,420. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,169 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $477,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,861 shares in the company, valued at $2,609,420. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 4,101 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $659,925.71. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 21,735 shares of company stock valued at $4,897,317 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

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.