Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. Announces Quarterly Dividend of $0.82 (NYSE:MMC)

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, January 15th,RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of 0.815 per share by the financial services provider on Friday, February 14th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.53%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies has increased its dividend by an average of 15.1% annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 15 consecutive years. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a payout ratio of 31.4% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Marsh & McLennan Companies to earn $9.39 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.26 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 34.7%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of MMC traded down $0.86 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $212.51. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,128,346 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,974,274. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market cap of $104.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a 50 day moving average of $219.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $221.15. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 1-year low of $188.31 and a 1-year high of $235.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $5.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.71 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 16.82%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 8.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total value of $553,875.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 48,549 shares in the company, valued at $10,756,030.95. The trade was a 4.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MMC shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $211.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $219.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $228.60.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc is a professional services firm, which engages in offering clients advice and solutions in risk, strategy, and people. It operates through the Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment is involved in risk management activities, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking and services.