Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Announces Earnings Results

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04, RTT News reports. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.89 earnings per share.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 4.1 %

Shares of MMC opened at $221.76 on Thursday. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 1 year low of $196.23 and a 1 year high of $248.00. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $233.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $224.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market cap of $109.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on MMC. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price target for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $237.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total value of $550,302.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,326,412. This represents a 14.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 51.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,960 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,856,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

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.