Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Purchased by Lord Abbett & CO. LLC

Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 20.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 667,046 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 113,406 shares during the quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC owned 0.14% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $141,687,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Raymond James reissued 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $241.93.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total transaction of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This trade represents a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the business'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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % 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 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE MMC traded up $0.41 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $219.37. 3,174,623 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,873,084. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The company has a market cap of $108.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.72 and a 12-month high of $248.00. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $231.78 and a 200 day moving average of $224.62.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.08 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast 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 paid a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.49%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.95%.

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.