Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (MMC) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.82 on February 14th

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, January 15th,RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of 0.815 per share by the financial services provider on Friday, February 14th. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th.

Marsh & McLennan Companies has raised its dividend payment by an average of 15.1% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 15 years. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a payout ratio of 31.4% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Marsh & McLennan Companies to earn $9.45 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 34.5%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 1.8 %

NYSE:MMC opened at $216.42 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $218.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $221.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Marsh & McLennan Companies has a 12-month low of $188.31 and a 12-month high of $235.50. The firm has a market cap of $106.29 billion, a PE ratio of 26.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.96.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies will post 8.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 48,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,756,030.95. This trade represents a 4.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MMC shares. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $219.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $228.60.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

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.