Marsh& McLennan Companies, Inc. MMC delivered second-quarter 2021 adjusted earnings per share of $1.75, surpassing the Zacks Consensus of Estimate by 23.2%. This upside is owing to a solid contribution from its Risk and Insurance Services as well as Consulting segments. The bottom line also improved 32.6% from the year-ago quarter’s level.Marsh & McLennan’s consolidated revenues of $5 billion were up 20% year over year. The top line too beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 12.9% on the back of its strong Risk and Insurance Services as well as Consulting segments.Total operating expenses of $3.7 billion in the second quarter were up 14.7% year over year due to higher compensation and benefits.Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. QuoteQuarterly Segmental ResultsRisk and Insurance ServicesRevenues were $3.1 billion, up 13% on an underlying basis. Adjusted operating income improved 22% to $927 million from the prior-year quarter’s level.Marsh, a unit within this segment, generated revenues worth $2.7 billion, up 14% on an underlying basis. In the U.S./Canada, underlying revenues rose 15% year over year.Underlying revenues from international operations rose 13% year over year including a 10% increase of the same in the Asia Pacific, a 2% rise in Latin America and a 16% hike in EMEA.Revenues from another unit under this segment, Guy Carpenter were up 12% year over year on an underlying basis in the quarter under review.ConsultingRevenues were up 12% on an underlying basis to $1.9 billion. Adjusted operating income surged 34% to $356 million as well.A unit within this segment, Mercer, generated revenues of $1.3 billion, climbing 6% on an underlying basis. Wealth’s revenues inched up 4% on an underlying basis. Health’s revenues were up 4% year over year while the same at Career was up 15% on an underlying basis. Another unit Oliver Wyman Group registered revenues worth $618 million, up 28% year over year on an underlying basis.Share Repurchase UpdateThe company bought back shares worth $322 million in the quarter under review.Its board of directors hiked the quarterly dividend by 15% to 53.5 cents per share.Financial UpdateMarsh & McLennan exited the second quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $888 million, down 57.1% from the level at 2020 end.Net cash used for operations stood at $750 million at the end of the first six months of 2021, 29.8% above the year-ago quarter’s value.As of Jun 30, 2021, Marsh & McLennan’s total assets were $32.9 billion, down 0.3% from the figure as of Dec 31, 2020.Total equity was $10.2 billion, up 10.8% from the level at 2020 end.Zacks Rank and Performance of Other PlayersMarsh & McLennan carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), currently. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Among other insurance industry players, which have reported second-quarter earnings so far, the bottom-line results of The Progressive Corporation PGR, RLI Corp. RLI and The Travelers Companies, Inc. TRV beat the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate. Bitcoin, Like the Internet Itself, Could Change Everything Blockchain and cryptocurrency has sparked one of the most exciting discussion topics of a generation. Some call it the “Internet of Money” and predict it could change the way money works forever. If true, it could do to banks what Netflix did to Blockbuster and Amazon did to Sears. Experts agree we’re still in the early stages of this technology, and as it grows, it will create several investing opportunities. Zacks’ has just revealed 3 companies that can help investors capitalize on the explosive profit potential of Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies with significantly less volatility than buying them directly. See 3 crypto-related stocks now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report RLI Corp. (RLI): Free Stock Analysis Report The Travelers Companies, Inc. (TRV): Free Stock Analysis Report Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (MMC): Free Stock Analysis Report The Progressive Corporation (PGR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research