Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Stock Position Reduced by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank reduced its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 486,541 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,125 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $108,542,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter worth about $3,710,000. Czech National Bank boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.7% in the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 100,175 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $22,348,000 after acquiring an additional 6,282 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.6% during the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 925,411 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $195,003,000 after purchasing an additional 23,133 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 236.7% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 55,496 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,431,000 after purchasing an additional 39,013 shares during the period. Finally, Kinsale Capital Group Inc. boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 16.8% during the 3rd quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. now owns 27,004 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,024,000 after purchasing an additional 3,880 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMC opened at $233.23 on Thursday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $184.28 and a 12-month high of $235.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $114.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94. The company’s fifty day moving average is $223.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $219.40.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.71 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 16.82%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 4th were paid a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 4th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MMC has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $232.00 to $242.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $219.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $211.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $227.60.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total value of $553,875.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 48,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,756,030.95. The trade was a 4.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.