Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Bought by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 453.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,570 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 17,670 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $4,813,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. raised 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 buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 100.0% in 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 last quarter. 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 buying an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at about $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of MMC traded down $0.43 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $229.74. The company had a trading volume of 1,247,190 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,697,200. The company's 50 day moving average price is $224.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $220.27. The stock has a market cap of $112.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.29, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.94. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $184.28 and a 52 week high of $235.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MMC shares. Evercore ISI reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $219.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $227.60.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total transaction of $553,875.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 48,549 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,756,030.95. The trade was a 4.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.