Hilltop Holdings Inc. Buys 4,911 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Hilltop Holdings Inc. raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 140.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,396 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,911 shares during the period. Hilltop Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,873,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% in the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 100.0% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the company a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $211.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $232.00 to $242.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $227.60.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total transaction of $553,875.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 48,549 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,756,030.95. This trade represents a 4.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.2 %

MMC stock traded down $0.43 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $229.74. 1,247,190 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,697,200. The firm's 50-day moving average is $224.68 and its 200-day moving average is $220.27. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $184.28 and a 12 month high of $235.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company 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 (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.71 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.82% and a return on equity of 32.65%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.