Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Sold by Clearbridge Investments LLC

Clearbridge Investments LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,025,709 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 123,278 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned about 0.62% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $642,691,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at $6,520,202.64. The trade was a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,569 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.00, for a total transaction of $2,344,405.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $5,129,075. The trade was a 31.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 67,397 shares of company stock worth $15,694,684 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE MMC traded down $0.19 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $243.85. 1,936,575 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,808,062. The company's 50-day moving average is $230.22 and its 200-day moving average is $224.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.77, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.17 and a 52-week high of $245.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 39.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MMC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. 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 report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $233.41.

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.