Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Sold by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. lessened its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 161,829 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 14,828 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $36,819,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,710,000. Czech National Bank raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.7% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 100,175 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $22,348,000 after acquiring an additional 6,282 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.2% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,905,431 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,648,304,000 after purchasing an additional 251,361 shares in the last quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 16.8% during the third quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. now owns 27,004 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,024,000 after purchasing an additional 3,880 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Citigroup Inc. raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 508,245 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $113,384,000 after purchasing an additional 23,445 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.2 %

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded up $0.46 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $210.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,636,875 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,710,958. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $184.28 and a 1 year high of $235.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $103.31 billion, a PE ratio of 25.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.94. The stock's fifty day moving average is $223.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $220.94.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $5.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.71 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.82% and a return on equity of 32.65%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.68 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total value of $553,875.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on MMC. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $219.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Roth Mkm boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $211.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $228.13.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.