Bank of Montreal Can Sells 304,283 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Bank of Montreal Can trimmed its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 23.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,004,544 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 304,283 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can owned approximately 0.20% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $213,375,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,739,515 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $9,503,120,000 after buying an additional 356,618 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,050,565 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,554,841,000 after acquiring an additional 145,134 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $1,236,186,000. Amundi lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 4,072,976 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $860,824,000 after purchasing an additional 1,823,807 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,999,771 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $892,309,000 after purchasing an additional 184,239 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total transaction of $550,302.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,326,412. This trade represents a 14.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE:MMC traded up $4.75 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $233.52. The stock had a trading volume of 2,500,152 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,850,552. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $232.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $224.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.17 and a 12 month high of $248.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $115.10 billion, a PE ratio of 28.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 39.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. 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 report on Friday. Barclays raised 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 note on Friday. Finally, Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $236.12.

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.