Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (MMC) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.82 on May 15th

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, March 12th, RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given 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%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd.

Marsh & McLennan Companies has raised its dividend payment by an average of 15.1% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend every year for the last 15 years. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a dividend payout ratio of 30.8% indicating that 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 Price Performance

MMC opened at $229.73 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $224.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $223.57. The firm has a market cap of $112.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.05, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a twelve month low of $196.17 and a twelve month high of $241.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MMC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective 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, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two 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 MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $230.44.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 51.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,960 shares during the quarter. Brighton Jones LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,856,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.