Capital Research Global Investors Acquires 14,432 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,420,723 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 14,432 shares during the quarter. Capital Research Global Investors owned 0.49% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $514,186,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,236,186,000. Amundi grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 4,072,976 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $860,824,000 after acquiring an additional 1,823,807 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7,320.9% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,108,758 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $235,511,000 after purchasing an additional 1,093,817 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $207,278,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 473.2% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 927,525 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $197,016,000 after purchasing an additional 765,696 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on MMC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 target price on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $241.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.3 %

MMC stock traded down $0.72 on Friday, reaching $218.24. 1,506,608 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,865,267. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $232.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $224.66. The company has a market cap of $107.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $196.72 and a one year high of $248.00. 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 (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.08 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.89 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.95%.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 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 $1,673,221.37. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

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.