Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG Makes New Investment in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 175,031 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $37,178,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,522 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,173,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 25,321 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,378,000 after buying an additional 1,424 shares in the last quarter. Vicus Capital lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 101.2% during the 4th quarter. Vicus Capital now owns 3,040 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $646,000 after acquiring an additional 1,529 shares in the last quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,253,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 15,503 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,293,000 after acquiring an additional 1,472 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MMC. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on 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, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE MMC traded up $0.99 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $231.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,042,519 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,162,435. The stock has a market cap of $113.51 billion, a PE ratio of 28.22, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.96. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $217.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $222.03. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $196.17 and a 52 week high of $235.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. Equities research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.