CWA Asset Management Group LLC Acquires Shares of 3,228 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

CWA Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 3,228 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $720,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,710,000. Czech National Bank boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.7% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 100,175 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $22,348,000 after buying an additional 6,282 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 925,411 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $195,003,000 after buying an additional 23,133 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.8% during the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 68,383 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $14,086,000 after acquiring an additional 5,554 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 236.7% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 55,496 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $11,431,000 after acquiring an additional 39,013 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 48,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,756,030.95. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MMC traded down $1.11 on Monday, reaching $224.25. The company had a trading volume of 679,769 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,683,195. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $184.28 and a 1 year high of $232.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $110.13 billion, a PE ratio of 27.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.94. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $224.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $217.29.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 during 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 business's revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, October 4th will be given a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 4th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMC has been the subject of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $211.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 10th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus 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.