Longview Partners Guernsey LTD Decreases Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Longview Partners Guernsey LTD cut its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 11.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,654,657 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 355,110 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up approximately 4.2% of Longview Partners Guernsey LTD’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Longview Partners Guernsey LTD owned about 0.54% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $559,389,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MMC. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter worth $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Clear Investment Research LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Crewe Advisors LLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.5 %

MMC opened at $223.55 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $110.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.37, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.94. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $223.30 and its 200-day moving average is $212.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $184.02 and a 52-week high of $232.32.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. 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 target price on the stock. Roth Mkm upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Two investment 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. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $215.53.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 10,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.41, for a total value of $2,324,098.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 33,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,625,035.98. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,169 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 10,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 $7,625,035.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 21,735 shares of company stock worth $4,897,317. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by 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.