California Public Employees Retirement System Decreases Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

California Public Employees Retirement System trimmed its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,238,499 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 10,872 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System owned approximately 0.46% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $475,480,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position 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 owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MMC shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on 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. lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price target (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $233.41.

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Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.1 %

MMC stock traded down $0.28 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $243.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,052,164 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,809,031. The firm's 50-day moving average is $230.73 and its 200-day moving average is $224.28. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.17 and a 12 month high of $245.98. The company has a market cap of $119.70 billion, a PE ratio of 29.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors 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 yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,569 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.00, for a total value of $2,344,405.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,129,075. This trade represents a 31.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 67,397 shares of company stock worth $15,694,684 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.