Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Acquires New Shares in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 950 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $212,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $3,710,000. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 100,175 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $22,348,000 after acquiring an additional 6,282 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 925,411 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $195,003,000 after acquiring an additional 23,133 shares in the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.8% during the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 68,383 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,086,000 after purchasing an additional 5,554 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 236.7% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 55,496 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,431,000 after purchasing an additional 39,013 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total value of $553,875.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 48,549 shares in the company, valued at $10,756,030.95. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC stock opened at $225.24 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $110.62 billion, a PE ratio of 27.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.94. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $184.28 and a 52-week high of $232.32. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $224.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $217.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.02. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.82% and a return on equity of 32.65%. The business had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.7 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 4th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 40.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $211.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $219.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Barclays assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $236.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $225.33.

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.