Maryland State Retirement & Pension System Trims Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System trimmed its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 6.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,528 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 1,907 shares during the quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $5,635,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 57,828 shares of company stock valued at $13,350,279. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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 note on Friday, January 3rd. Evercore ISI reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday, November 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MMC traded up $2.51 on Monday, hitting $234.82. 2,226,472 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,639,176. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $196.17 and a one year high of $241.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market cap of $115.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $227.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $223.74.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.39%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

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.