Oxford Asset Management LLP Raises Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Oxford Asset Management LLP increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 118.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,615 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,957 shares during the period. Oxford Asset Management LLP's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $768,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bolthouse Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $305,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 464 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 11,941 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,536,000 after acquiring an additional 427 shares during the period. New Vernon Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,553,000. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 139.9% during the 4th quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC now owns 8,115 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,724,000 after buying an additional 4,732 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MMC stock traded up $1.27 during trading on Monday, hitting $220.51. The stock had a trading volume of 2,196,846 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,874,379. The company's 50 day moving average price is $231.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $224.59. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.72 and a 1-year high of $248.00. The stock has a market cap of $108.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.89 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 39.95%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 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 $309,455.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the company'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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,522 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,326,412. This represents a 14.20 % 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 90 days. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $241.93.

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.