Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI Purchases 1,123 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 17.6% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,494 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,123 shares during the quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,579,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Sachetta LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 100.0% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 1.3 %

MMC opened at $228.07 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $222.83 and a 200 day moving average of $211.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $184.02 and a 12 month high of $232.32. The company has a market cap of $112.38 billion, a PE ratio of 28.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.94.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $6.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.31 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 33.92% and a net margin of 16.97%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.20 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.74 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 10,265 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.41, for a total transaction of $2,324,098.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly 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 can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,169 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $477,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,609,420. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 10,265 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.41, for a total transaction of $2,324,098.65. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 33,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,625,035.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 21,735 shares of company stock valued at $4,897,317. Corporate insiders own 0.30% 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.