Advisors Asset Management Inc. reduced its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 19.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,049 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 6,957 shares during the quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $5,958,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. PDS Planning Inc lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 15.4% in the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 2,987 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $635,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares during the period. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 21.5% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC now owns 144,628 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,720,000 after purchasing an additional 25,554 shares during the period. Avalon Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3,379.5% during the fourth quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 2,714 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $576,000 after purchasing an additional 2,636 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 788,731 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $167,534,000 after buying an additional 29,431 shares during the period. Finally, Hills Bank & Trust Co raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co now owns 10,353 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,199,000 after buying an additional 398 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance
Shares of MMC stock traded up $2.51 on Monday, hitting $234.82. The company had a trading volume of 2,226,472 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,639,176. The firm has a market cap of $115.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $196.17 and a twelve month high of $241.84. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $227.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $223.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.
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 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $230.44.
Check Out Our Latest Report on MMC
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at $6,520,202.64. This trade represents a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 57,828 shares of company stock valued at $13,350,279. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
About Marsh & McLennan Companies
(
Free Report)
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.
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