Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) to Issue $0.82 Quarterly Dividend

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, March 12th, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a dividend of 0.815 per share by the financial services provider on Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies has increased its dividend by an average of 15.1% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 15 consecutive years. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a dividend payout ratio of 30.8% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Marsh & McLennan Companies to earn $10.48 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $3.26 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 31.1%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MMC stock opened at $229.78 on Thursday. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a twelve month low of $196.17 and a twelve month high of $241.84. The stock has a market cap of $112.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.06, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The business’s fifty day moving average is $224.07 and its 200 day moving average is $223.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. Research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MMC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $230.44.

Insider Activity

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marsh & McLennan Companies

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 51.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,738 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,960 shares during the quarter. Brighton Jones LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,856,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc is a professional services firm, which engages in offering clients advice and solutions in risk, strategy, and people. It operates through the Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment is involved in risk management activities, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking and services.