Cornerstone Advisors LLC Sells 1,400 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Cornerstone Advisors LLC cut its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 26,300 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,400 shares during the period. Cornerstone Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $5,542,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,127 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $203,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $209,000. Financial Advocates Investment Management increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 53.1% in the 4th quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 3,235 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $613,000 after acquiring an additional 1,122 shares in the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 17.9% during the fourth quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 3,776 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $715,000 after acquiring an additional 572 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $1,048,077,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE MMC opened at $229.68 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $184.02 and a 1 year high of $232.32. The company has a market cap of $113.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.15, a PEG ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.94. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $222.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $211.57.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $2.41 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.20 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 15th were given a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 25th. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.42%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 41.37%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Barclays started coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $236.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. 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 note on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $215.53.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,169 shares of the 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,609,420. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,169 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $477,180.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 11,861 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,609,420. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 4,101 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.77, for a total value of $925,882.77. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $659,925.71. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 21,735 shares of company stock valued at $4,897,317 in the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.