Heritage Trust Co Buys Shares of 17,279 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Heritage Trust Co bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 17,279 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,670,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MMC. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $1,236,186,000. Amundi increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 4,072,976 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $860,824,000 after buying an additional 1,823,807 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7,320.9% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,108,758 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $235,511,000 after acquiring an additional 1,093,817 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $207,278,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 473.2% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 927,525 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $197,016,000 after purchasing an additional 765,696 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,919,096.95. This trade represents a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total transaction of $11,367,602.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at $6,520,202.64. This trade represents a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MMC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $281.00 target price on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $237.75.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE:MMC traded down $0.69 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $231.67. The stock had a trading volume of 1,074,627 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,853,558. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $233.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $224.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.17 and a 12 month high of $248.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $114.19 billion, a PE ratio of 28.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.41%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.80%.

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.