Marsh & McLennan Companies (MMC) Set to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) is scheduled to announce its earnings results before the market opens on Thursday, April 18th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $2.79 per share for the quarter. Investors that are interested in registering for the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The financial services provider reported $1.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.63 by $0.05. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.52% and a return on equity of 33.72%. The business had revenue of $5.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.54 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.47 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect Marsh & McLennan Companies to post $9 EPS for the current fiscal year and $9 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MMC opened at $196.23 on Wednesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a fifty-two week low of $171.47 and a fifty-two week high of $209.20. The company has a market capitalization of $96.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.90. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $202.63 and a 200-day simple moving average of $196.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 3rd. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.72%.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Martine Ferland sold 9,128 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.63, for a total value of $1,840,478.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 9,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,012,065.77. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 12,494 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.79, for a total transaction of $2,508,670.26. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 33,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,762,205.62. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Martine Ferland sold 9,128 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.63, for a total transaction of $1,840,478.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 9,979 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,012,065.77. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 36,751 shares of company stock valued at $7,448,163 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marsh & McLennan Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $48,000. SageView Advisory Group LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 303.0% in the 4th quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 5,025 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $970,000 after purchasing an additional 3,778 shares during the last quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $580,000. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 905 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 64,075 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $12,140,000 after buying an additional 2,033 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MMC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $189.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $212.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $204.29.

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.