Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Sold by AXQ Capital LP

AXQ Capital LP trimmed its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 38.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,138 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,829 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up about 0.6% of AXQ Capital LP's holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. AXQ Capital LP's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,304,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MMC. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MMC traded up $2.10 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $238.72. 1,873,660 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,638,166. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.17 and a 52-week high of $241.84. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $228.56 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $223.95. The company has a market cap of $117.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.15, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95.

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Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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, sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.37%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the 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 directly owns 28,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This trade represents a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 57,828 shares of company stock valued at $13,350,279 in the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on MMC shares. Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective 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. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $233.41.

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.