Coign Capital Advisors LLC Invests $581,000 in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Coign Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,735 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $581,000.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE MMC traded down $0.87 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $231.49. 1,102,124 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,201,167. The company has a 50 day moving average of $233.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $224.77. The firm has a market cap of $114.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.26, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.23 and a 52-week high of $248.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.80%.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total transaction of $11,367,602.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This trade represents a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MMC shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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 note on Friday, January 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price target (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $237.75.

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.