Baillie Gifford & Co. Purchases Shares of 85,600 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Baillie Gifford & Co. purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 85,600 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $19,097,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% during the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth $41,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total transaction of $553,875.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 48,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,756,030.95. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC stock traded up $0.47 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $225.64. The company had a trading volume of 1,256,787 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,686,700. The firm has a market cap of $110.82 billion, a PE ratio of 27.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $224.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $217.64. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $184.28 and a one year high of $232.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.02. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 16.82%. The firm had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. The company's revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.815 per share. 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 1.44%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MMC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $236.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $225.33.

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.