AlphaQuest LLC Cuts Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

AlphaQuest LLC reduced its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 38.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,735 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 5,448 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,855,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MMC. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MMC. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $230.44.

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Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MMC traded down $3.33 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $229.78. 1,828,823 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,639,946. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $112.85 billion, a PE ratio of 28.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The company's 50-day moving average is $224.07 and its 200 day moving average is $223.53. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $196.17 and a 52 week high of $241.84.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. On average, research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

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.