Transcend Capital Advisors LLC Purchases 2,779 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Transcend Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 19.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,383 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,779 shares during the period. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $3,663,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MMC. Valley National Advisers Inc. increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 343.3% during the 4th quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 133 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth $25,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Sachetta LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $238.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $214.25.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MMC stock traded down $0.66 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $223.95. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,860,665 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,662,703. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $213.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $205.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $184.02 and a 1 year high of $227.63. The stock has a market cap of $110.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.42, a PEG ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.94.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 15th will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 is currently 41.37%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,169 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.13, for a total transaction of $455,771.97. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,737,993.90. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,169 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.13, for a total transaction of $455,771.97. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,030 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,737,993.90. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.01, for a total value of $1,254,060.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 53,393 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,159,670.93. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,338 shares of company stock valued at $2,187,012 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.