Boltwood Capital Management Sells 232 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Boltwood Capital Management reduced its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 4.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,105 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 232 shares during the period. Boltwood Capital Management’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,139,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Raymond James & Associates grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 925,411 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $195,003,000 after purchasing an additional 23,133 shares in the last quarter. Veritas Investment Partners UK Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 16.9% in the 4th quarter. Veritas Investment Partners UK Ltd. now owns 1,404,598 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $266,134,000 after acquiring an additional 203,017 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 12.4% during the 1st quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 906,976 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $187,218,000 after acquiring an additional 100,378 shares during the last quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 26.8% in the first quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. now owns 18,845 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,882,000 after purchasing an additional 3,984 shares during the last quarter. Finally, O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.8% during the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 68,383 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $14,086,000 after purchasing an additional 5,554 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMC opened at $223.08 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The company has a market capitalization of $109.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.31, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.94. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $184.02 and a 12 month high of $232.32. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $224.12 and its 200 day moving average is $213.35.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 4th will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 4th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.37%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MMC has been the subject of several research reports. Roth Mkm upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report 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 stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $236.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $235.00 to $248.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $216.41.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,169 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The shares were 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 directly owns 11,861 shares in the company, valued at $2,609,420. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 5,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.03, for a total transaction of $1,170,156.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 33,678 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,578,560.34. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,169 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total transaction of $477,180.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,609,420. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 21,735 shares of company stock worth $4,897,317. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.