Bellwether Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 12.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,728 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,452 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises about 0.9% of Bellwether Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Bellwether Advisors LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $5,040,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Louisbourg Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 67.2% during the 4th quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 8,211 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,744,000 after buying an additional 3,300 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 106,485 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $22,618,000 after purchasing an additional 6,310 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 191,512 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $40,679,000 after buying an additional 16,464 shares in the last quarter. Brentview Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,635,000. Finally, Occidental Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. Occidental Asset Management LLC now owns 19,359 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,112,000 after buying an additional 1,555 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several analysts have issued reports on MMC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. 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. UBS Group raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $241.93.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on MMC
Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies
In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,919,096.95. The trade was a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total transaction of $550,302.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,522 shares in the company, valued at $3,326,412. This trade represents a 14.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance
MMC stock opened at $219.37 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $108.09 billion, a PE ratio of 26.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.72 and a 1-year high of $248.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $231.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $224.62.
Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.
Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.95%.
Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile
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Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
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