Woodward Diversified Capital LLC Invests $251,000 in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Woodward Diversified Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,148 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $251,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MMC. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 45,321,445 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,059,792,000 after purchasing an additional 581,930 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 54.2% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,814,788 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,127,193,000 after acquiring an additional 4,505,548 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.5% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,345,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,060,362,000 after acquiring an additional 340,907 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter worth $1,038,594,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.4% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,858,136 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $697,471,000 after purchasing an additional 65,778 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total transaction of $4,334,896.35. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,681 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,031,597.65. This represents a 19.38% 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. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $261.00 to $258.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $256.00 price target for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $238.76.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $199.71 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $195.01 and a 52-week high of $248.00. The firm has a market cap of $98.18 billion, a PE ratio of 23.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.81. The company’s 50 day moving average is $203.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $216.95.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 17th. The financial services provider reported $2.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.66 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.92 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.90% and a net margin of 16.00%.The company’s revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.41 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd will be paid a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 2nd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.17%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc is a professional services firm, which engages in offering clients advice and solutions in risk, strategy, and people. It operates through the Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment is involved in risk management activities, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking and services.