Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Trims Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC decreased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 95,511 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 1,974 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $20,288,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MMC. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,520,202.64. The trade was a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 57,828 shares of company stock valued at $13,350,279 in the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:MMC traded up $0.92 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $233.49. The company had a trading volume of 1,671,768 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,638,418. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $196.17 and a 52 week high of $241.84. The company has a market capitalization of $114.68 billion, a PE ratio of 28.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $226.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $223.73.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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, equities research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on MMC. Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $230.44.

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.