Wealth Alliance Trims Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Wealth Alliance reduced its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 8,513 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 142 shares during the period. Wealth Alliance’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,794,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MMC. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 1,127 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $203,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,215 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,557,000 after buying an additional 849 shares in the last quarter. Sachetta LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $658,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 13.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 179,161 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $33,946,000 after buying an additional 21,392 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE:MMC opened at $228.07 on Wednesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $184.02 and a 52 week high of $232.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $112.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.94. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $222.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $211.96.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $2.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.31 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.20 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, July 15th were given a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 25th. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.43%. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.71. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 41.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 4,101 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.77, for a total value of $925,882.77. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $659,925.71. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 10,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.41, for a total value of $2,324,098.65. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 33,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,625,035.98. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 4,101 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.77, for a total value of $925,882.77. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $659,925.71. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 21,735 shares of company stock worth $4,897,317 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $233.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Barclays began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $236.00 price target on the stock. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $215.53.

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.