Symmetry Partners LLC Grows Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Symmetry Partners LLC grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 13.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,803 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 585 shares during the quarter. Symmetry Partners LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,012,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $1,048,077,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 32.7% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,243,245 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,940,789,000 after acquiring an additional 2,526,701 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $261,787,000. Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 229.6% during the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 932,452 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $192,066,000 after purchasing an additional 649,505 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 322.7% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 761,238 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $144,232,000 after purchasing an additional 581,131 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 10,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 33,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,625,035.98. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.01, for a total transaction of $1,254,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 53,393 shares in the company, valued at $11,159,670.93. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 10,265 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 33,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,625,035.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 29,904 shares of company stock valued at $6,607,149. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:MMC traded up $0.51 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $219.90. 342,842 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,683,703. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $214.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $206.34. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $184.02 and a 1 year high of $227.63. The firm has a market cap of $108.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.92, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.94.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $2.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.31 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 33.92% and a net margin of 16.97%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.20 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.73 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 15th will be given a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 25th. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.37%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $189.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $214.25.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.