Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations 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. The business had revenue of $6.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.38 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 34.14%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.53 EPS.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC stock opened at $202.41 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $202.86 and a 200-day moving average of $196.82. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a one year low of $171.47 and a one year high of $209.20. The stock has a market cap of $99.90 billion, a PE ratio of 25.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 4th will be given a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 3rd. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.40%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 36.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on MMC shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $189.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $204.87.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO Martine Ferland sold 9,128 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.63, for a total value of $1,840,478.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 9,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,012,065.77. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,461 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.16, for a total transaction of $305,582.76. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $611,374.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Martine Ferland sold 9,128 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.63, for a total transaction of $1,840,478.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 9,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,012,065.77. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 36,751 shares of company stock worth $7,448,163. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MMC. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Ancora Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 35.4% during the 4th quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 402 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $66,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $83,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

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.