Capital World Investors Has $3.72 Billion Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Capital World Investors trimmed its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,527,365 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 55,942 shares during the quarter. Capital World Investors owned 3.57% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $3,722,933,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,236,186,000. Amundi grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,072,976 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $860,824,000 after acquiring an additional 1,823,807 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7,320.9% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,108,758 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $235,511,000 after acquiring an additional 1,093,817 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $207,278,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 473.2% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 927,525 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $197,016,000 after purchasing an additional 765,696 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. The trade was a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.1 %

MMC traded down $0.17 during trading on Thursday, hitting $218.87. The company had a trading volume of 811,500 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,235,263. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The company has a market capitalization of $107.88 billion, a PE ratio of 26.73, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $232.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.66. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $196.72 and a one year high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. 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 posted $2.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect 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 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 is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.49%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 39.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on MMC. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Two 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 MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.