Avalon Trust Co Purchases 2,636 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Avalon Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 3,379.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,714 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,636 shares during the quarter. Avalon Trust Co's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $576,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on MMC shares. Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $230.44.

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Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MMC traded up $0.92 on Thursday, hitting $233.49. 1,713,913 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,638,571. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $196.17 and a one year high of $241.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market cap of $114.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $226.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $223.73.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS 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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.40%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.80%.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 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 transaction of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 57,828 shares of company stock valued at $13,350,279. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

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.