Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Boosts Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,028,627 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 71,493 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 0.41% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $430,899,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth about $75,000. Virtu Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 12,756 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,846,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.6% in the third quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 10,499 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,329,000 after buying an additional 360 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 487.5% in the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 517 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $115,000 after acquiring an additional 429 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 29.9% during the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,223 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,842,000 after purchasing an additional 3,962 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total value of $550,302.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,326,412. This represents a 14.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MMC stock traded down $0.37 on Friday, reaching $218.59. 1,462,055 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,864,940. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $232.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.66. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.72 and a 12 month high of $248.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $107.74 billion, a PE ratio of 26.68, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is presently 39.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MMC. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 target price (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $241.93.

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.