Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. Plans Quarterly Dividend of $0.82 (NYSE:MMC)

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, March 12th, RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a dividend of 0.815 per share by the financial services provider on Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies has raised its dividend by an average of 15.1% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 15 consecutive years. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a dividend payout ratio of 30.8% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Marsh & McLennan Companies to earn $10.48 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.26 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 31.1%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 1.4 %

MMC traded down $3.33 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $229.78. 1,192,188 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,637,954. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $223.72 and a 200 day moving average of $223.49. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 12-month low of $196.17 and a 12-month high of $241.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $112.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $230.44.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 51.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,960 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,856,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.