Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Sold by FIL Ltd

FIL Ltd trimmed its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 6.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,136,015 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 80,053 shares during the period. FIL Ltd owned 0.23% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $241,301,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth about $75,000. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 197.5% in the 3rd quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 11,116 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,480,000 after purchasing an additional 7,380 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 37.7% during the third quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,238 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $722,000 after buying an additional 887 shares during the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.8% in the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 46,735 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $10,426,000 after buying an additional 1,274 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Continuum Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 58.7% during the third quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 1,271 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $282,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on MMC. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $236.12.

Insider Activity

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies 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 transaction of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This trade represents a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 over the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:MMC traded up $4.71 during trading on Monday, reaching $238.05. 441,418 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,845,225. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $232.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $224.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $117.34 billion, a PE ratio of 29.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.17 and a 12-month 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.37%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.