Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) is a financial services provider that has recently been making moves in the market. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC, a prominent investment firm, acquired 1,564 shares of MMC in the fourth quarter of last year. This maneuver was disclosed in the company’s most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The value of this purchase reached $259,000- a substantial figure indeed.
But wait, there’s more good news for investors. Marsh & McLennan Companies recently declared their quarterly dividend on May 15th. Investors who were recorded on April 5th were issued a generous dividend of $0.59 per share. This amounts to a $2.36 payout on an annual basis and provides investors with a yield of 1.36%. Not too shabby considering how tepid global markets have been lately!
However, not all recent activity has been so rosy at MMC- corporate insiders have sold significant amounts of stock over the past quarter. Director Oscar Fanjul is no longer in possession of 5,500 shares which he had sold at $179.38 just over a month ago- netting a total sale price nearing one million dollars! According to documents filed with the SEC by Marsh & McLennan Companies themselves, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold off 3,140 shares at an average price point slightly lower on March 6th totaling almost half-a-million dollars in sales.
Despite this flurry of activity by insiders selling their allocated stock options however MMCo.’s overall position remains strong if not better than before due to these investments from large firms such as Ameritas Advisory Services LLC and gains procured from ongoing operations.
All in all, investing minds should be able to discern whether these moves are indicative of future performance trends or simply form an isolated incident. Either way there is always some excitement surrounding activity within Finance sectors and whether your broker recommends or advises against such positions, I’m sure interested investors across the globe will be keeping their eye on this firm for some time to come.
[bs_slider_forecast ticker=”MMC”]
Financial services provider Marsh & McLennan Companies sees increasing stake from hedge funds and institutional investors
Marsh & McLennan Companies, a renowned financial services provider, has seen several hedge funds and institutional investors increase their stakes in the stock. Edge Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter of 2022. Macquarie Group Ltd. increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 15.1% during the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC and AlphaCrest Capital Management LLC also raised their stakes in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter of 2022, while Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings during the same period.
Institutional investors and hedge funds now own over 87% of Marsh & McLennan Companies’ stock. The company recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid to investors on May 15th, representing an annualized dividend yield of 1.36%. Despite some analysts recently reiterating “neutral” ratings on the stock, such as Roth Capital did in April 2023 and StockNews.com did in May 2023, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target for Marsh & McLennan Companies from $168 to $192 per share.
Marsh & McLennan Companies recorded earnings per share (EPS) of $2.53 for Q1 2023, beating analysts’ expectations by six cents. The firm’s revenue for this latest quarter was $5.92 billion, up by almost seven percent compared to last year’s same quarter revenue earnings of $5.54 billion.
Shares of MMC opened at $173.18 on June 1st with a market cap of $85.68 billion and a P/E ratio of 27.10 alongside a forward P/E ratio of 11.8 given its estimated earnings per share growth next year set at around 22%. The financial services company commands a beta score of just under one at approximately 0.93, while its fifty-day moving average price is hovering around the $174.03 region and its two-hundred day moving average is hovering around $169.94.
In conclusion, despite some analysts remaining cautious over Marsh & McLennan Companies’ prospects, several institutional investors and hedge funds are eyeing it up for good investment opportunities. Its earnings report reveals a confident performance during Q1 2023 with revenue up by nearly 7 percent, beating expectations of Wall Street analysts and shareholders alike. With a moderate market cap and reasonable PEG ratio expected to exceed 2 times earned dividends per share growth in the coming year, Marsh & McLennan Companies could be an attractive prospect as part of any balanced portfolio.
