Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.09 EPS

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) announced its earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $2.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.80 by $0.09, RTT News reports. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.52% and a return on equity of 33.72%. The business had revenue of $6.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.53 earnings per share. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:MMC opened at $201.65 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $202.77 and its 200-day moving average is $196.72. The company has a market capitalization of $99.52 billion, a PE ratio of 26.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 52 week low of $171.47 and a 52 week high of $209.20.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 4th will be paid a $0.71 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 3rd. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.41%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 12,494 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.79, for a total transaction of $2,508,670.26. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 33,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,762,205.62. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 12,494 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.79, for a total transaction of $2,508,670.26. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 33,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,762,205.62. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Martine Ferland sold 9,128 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.63, for a total transaction of $1,840,478.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 9,979 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,012,065.77. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 36,751 shares of company stock worth $7,448,163 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gladius Capital Management LP raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 68.9% during the 3rd quarter. Gladius Capital Management LP now owns 2,911 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $554,000 after purchasing an additional 1,188 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 905 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.4% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 912 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $155,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares during the last quarter. PCA Investment Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $142,000. Finally, Chilton Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $133,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $185.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $212.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $211.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $204.73.

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.