MU Investments Co. Ltd. Reduces Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

MU Investments Co. Ltd. decreased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 0.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises approximately 4.3% of MU Investments Co. Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. MU Investments Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $3,404,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 105,777.7% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,772,516 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,617,156,000 after buying an additional 9,763,286 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $659,049,000. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 49.2% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 6,293,827 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,041,503,000 after purchasing an additional 2,075,928 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 331.5% in the 1st quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 1,830,548 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $311,962,000 after purchasing an additional 1,406,293 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 133.1% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,297,356 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $221,095,000 after acquiring an additional 740,778 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.64% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE MMC traded down $0.14 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $197.59. 312,514 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,587,985. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $148.11 and a 52-week high of $198.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.60 billion, a PE ratio of 30.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $191.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $180.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 20th. The financial services provider reported $2.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.08. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 33.69% and a net margin of 15.20%. The firm had revenue of $5.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.77 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.89 earnings per share. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 7.71 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 27th were given a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.44%. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.59. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 26th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 43.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.90, for a total value of $584,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 63,012 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,281,038.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 12,976 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.20, for a total value of $2,493,987.20. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,023,707. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.90, for a total transaction of $584,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 63,012 shares in the company, valued at $12,281,038.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 86,082 shares of company stock valued at $16,085,453. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $202.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 21st. Citigroup lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $182.00 to $197.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 6th. Bank of America raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $189.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Friday, July 21st. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $193.23.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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 in two segments, Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting. 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.