Bank of Montreal Can Boosts Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 7.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,308,827 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 95,921 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can owned 0.27% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $293,099,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% in the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 712.5% in the 2nd quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 195 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter worth about $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded up $2.38 during trading on Monday, hitting $230.20. 148,051 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,680,829. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $184.28 and a 52-week high of $232.32. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $223.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $218.93. The firm has a market cap of $113.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $5.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.71 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.82% and a return on equity of 32.65%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 4th were given a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 4th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 40.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MMC. UBS Group raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Monday. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $227.60.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total value of $553,875.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 48,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,756,030.95. This trade represents a 4.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

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.