Annex Advisory Services LLC Boosts Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Annex Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 4.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 62,012 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,626 shares during the period. Annex Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $13,172,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. AE Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 10.5% in the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,868 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $604,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.5% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 169,151 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $35,644,000 after buying an additional 8,796 shares during the period. Summit Trail Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 23.0% in the 2nd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 5,504 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,160,000 after purchasing an additional 1,030 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.3% in the second quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,222 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $468,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.9% during the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 100,846 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $21,250,000 after buying an additional 4,735 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 48,549 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,756,030.95. The trade was a 4.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.5 %

MMC stock traded down $1.06 on Monday, reaching $215.23. 2,007,016 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,418,961. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $218.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $221.21. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $188.31 and a one year high of $235.50. The company has a market cap of $105.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.96.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.71 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 16.82%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.68 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 Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.51%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 40.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MMC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $211.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Roth Mkm lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the company 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 three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $228.60.

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.