Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Increases Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 85.4% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 21,698 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,997 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $4,743,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Activest Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2,775.0% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 115 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 363.3% in the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 139 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Access Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter valued at about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.65, for a total value of $4,334,896.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 87,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,031,597.65. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $182.84 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $193.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $207.94. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $174.18 and a 12-month high of $248.00. The firm has a market cap of $89.58 billion, a PE ratio of 21.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 15.60% and a return on equity of 31.79%. The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.63 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 2nd. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 43.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $209.00 to $191.00 in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $243.00 to $237.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 17th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $233.00 to $221.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $200.00 to $195.00 in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $228.63.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc is a professional services firm, which engages in offering clients advice and solutions in risk, strategy, and people. It operates through the Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment is involved in risk management activities, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking and services.