Acadian Asset Management LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Acadian Asset Management LLC cut its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 22.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,264,795 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 360,308 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for 0.9% of Acadian Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Acadian Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $260,494,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Valley National Advisers Inc. lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 343.3% in the 4th quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 133 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter worth $25,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Cordant Inc. acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MMC. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $238.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $189.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $211.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $214.25.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE:MMC traded down $0.67 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $216.75. The stock had a trading volume of 2,486,136 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,849,164. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $184.02 and a twelve month high of $221.71. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $211.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $203.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $106.80 billion, a PE ratio of 27.51, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.94.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.20 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.72 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 25th will be paid a $0.815 dividend. This is a positive change from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 25th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.37%.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,169 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.13, for a total value of $455,771.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,030 shares in the company, valued at $2,737,993.90. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,169 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.13, for a total value of $455,771.97. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,030 shares in the company, valued at $2,737,993.90. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 6,000 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.01, for a total transaction of $1,254,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 53,393 shares in the company, valued at $11,159,670.93. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 10,338 shares of company stock worth $2,187,012. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.