Kinsale Capital Group Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Kinsale Capital Group Inc. lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 16.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 27,004 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,880 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for 1.8% of Kinsale Capital Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Kinsale Capital Group Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $6,024,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% in the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 100.0% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MMC traded up $0.64 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $222.14. The company had a trading volume of 1,930,186 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,689,079. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $224.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $217.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $109.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.94. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $184.28 and a twelve month high of $232.32. 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 (NYSE:MMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.02. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.82% and a return on equity of 32.65%. The business had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 4th were paid a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.47%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on MMC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price 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. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Bank of America upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $211.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $225.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total transaction of $553,875.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 48,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,756,030.95. This trade represents a 4.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.