Markel Group Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Markel Group Inc. increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 2.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 722,500 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 16,000 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for about 1.5% of Markel Group Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Markel Group Inc. owned about 0.15% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $161,183,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4,991.4% during the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 693,087 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $146,047,000 after buying an additional 679,474 shares during the period. M&G Plc acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter worth $118,353,000. Bristol Gate Capital Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $95,139,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 31,846.5% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 427,764 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $95,430,000 after acquiring an additional 426,425 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.7% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,624,073 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,188,348,000 after buying an additional 380,828 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 1.0 %

MMC stock traded up $2.18 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $225.36. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,395,777 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,808,196. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $184.28 and a 12 month high of $232.32. The firm's 50-day moving average is $224.83 and its 200-day moving average is $217.07. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $110.68 billion, a PE ratio of 27.75, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.94.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its 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 company had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. Marsh & McLennan Companies's quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.7 earnings per share 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. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 4th. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total value of $553,875.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 48,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,756,030.95. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on MMC. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $219.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a "buy" 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 company a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $232.00 to $242.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $225.33.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.