Optas LLC Purchases 58 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Optas LLC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 3.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,943 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 58 shares during the period. Optas LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $433,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 18.8% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 285 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Kingfisher Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. Kingfisher Capital LLC now owns 1,042 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $220,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Drive Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,382 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $291,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.3% during the second quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,222 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $468,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.6% in the second quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 8,953 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,887,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total transaction of $553,875.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 48,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,756,030.95. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 5,200 shares of the firm’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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 33,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,578,560.34. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 48,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,756,030.95. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $219.10 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $107.60 billion, a PE ratio of 26.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.94. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $184.28 and a fifty-two week high of $232.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $225.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $216.41.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 4th will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 4th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.49%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Roth Mkm increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $225.33.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.