American Trust Sells 1,544 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

American Trust decreased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 26,169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,544 shares during the period. American Trust’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $5,514,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its stake in 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 buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 712.5% during the 2nd quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 195 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on MMC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 11th. Roth Mkm upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $228.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Barclays initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $236.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $216.41.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 4,101 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.77, for a total value of $925,882.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $659,925.71. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 4,101 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.77, for a total transaction of $925,882.77. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $659,925.71. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 10,265 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.41, for a total value of $2,324,098.65. Following the completion of the transaction, 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 21,735 shares of company stock worth $4,897,317. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $222.79 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $224.01 and a 200-day moving average of $213.28. The company has a market cap of $109.77 billion, a PE ratio of 28.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.94. 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 1-year low of $184.02 and a 1-year high of $232.32.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The financial services provider reported $2.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.01. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 33.92% and a net margin of 16.97%. The company had revenue of $6.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.20 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 4th will be issued a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 4th. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.37%.

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.