Investment Management Corp of Ontario Boosts Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Investment Management Corp of Ontario increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 27.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 25,017 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 5,400 shares during the period. Investment Management Corp of Ontario's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $5,581,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% in the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 100.0% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 712.5% in the second quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 195 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter worth about $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MMC shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $232.00 to $242.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $227.60.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC stock traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $230.02. The company's stock had a trading volume of 494,519 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,693,792. The stock has a market cap of $112.97 billion, a PE ratio of 28.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.94. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $184.28 and a 12-month high of $235.50. The company has a 50 day moving average of $224.57 and a 200 day moving average of $220.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.02. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 16.82%. The business had revenue of $5.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 4th were issued a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.42%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 40.15%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total transaction of $553,875.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 48,549 shares in the company, valued at $10,756,030.95. This trade represents a 4.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc, a professional services company, provides advice and solutions to clients in the areas of risk, strategy, and people worldwide. It operates through Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment offers risk management services, such as risk advice, risk transfer, and risk control and mitigation solutions, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking, strategic advisory services, and analytics solutions, and insurance program management services.