Baillie Gifford & Co. Purchases 23,319 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Baillie Gifford & Co. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 27.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 108,919 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 23,319 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $23,135,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% in the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MMC shares. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 target price (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE MMC traded down $0.52 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $230.05. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,193,747 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,152,310. The stock has a market cap of $112.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.96. 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 one year low of $196.17 and a one year high of $235.50. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $218.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $222.25.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.