West Coast Financial LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

West Coast Financial LLC increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 66,874 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 763 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises about 1.6% of West Coast Financial LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. West Coast Financial LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $14,919,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 100.0% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth about $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:MMC traded up $0.96 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $224.49. The company had a trading volume of 213,933 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,661,395. The stock has a market capitalization of $110.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.53, a PEG ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.94. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $184.02 and a one year high of $232.32. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $224.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $214.01. 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 (NYSE:MMC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $2.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.31 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.97% and a return on equity of 33.92%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.20 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, October 4th will be issued a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 4th. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.45%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 41.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 5,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.03, for a total transaction of $1,170,156.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 33,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,578,560.34. 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 accessible through the SEC website. In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 5,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.03, for a total value of $1,170,156.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 33,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,578,560.34. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 10,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.41, for a total transaction of $2,324,098.65. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 33,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,625,035.98. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 21,735 shares of company stock valued at $4,897,317. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $236.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada upped 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $211.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $216.69.

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.