Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) is Mawer Investment Management Ltd.'s Largest Position

Mawer Investment Management Ltd. cut its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 0.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,918,358 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 51,790 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for 7.0% of Mawer Investment Management Ltd.'s holdings, making the stock its biggest holding. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. owned 1.41% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $1,543,416,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. increased its stake in 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 during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 712.5% during the 2nd quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 195 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.7 %

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded up $1.53 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $223.67. 1,659,567 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,688,947. The company has a market cap of $109.85 billion, a PE ratio of 27.36, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.94. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $224.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $218.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $184.28 and a 12 month high of $232.32.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $5.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.71 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.82% and a return on equity of 32.65%. The firm's revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Investors of record on Friday, October 4th were paid a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.46%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MMC shares. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective 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. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $219.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $209.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an "underperform" 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 assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $225.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the business's 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 sale, the director now directly owns 48,549 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,756,030.95. The trade was a 4.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.