Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co Acquires 46,700 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 34.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 183,900 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 46,700 shares during the period. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $39,062,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,236,186,000. Amundi increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 4,072,976 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $860,824,000 after buying an additional 1,823,807 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7,320.9% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,108,758 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $235,511,000 after acquiring an additional 1,093,817 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $207,278,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in 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 period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total transaction of $550,302.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,326,412. This trade represents a 14.20 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. This trade represents a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.5 %

MMC traded up $1.15 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $230.71. 1,104,915 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,844,774. The stock has a market cap of $113.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.10, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.17 and a 1-year high of $248.00. The stock's 50-day moving average is $232.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.51. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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 paid a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MMC. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $234.12.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.