Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Sells 696,894 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Mawer Investment Management Ltd. lowered its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 10.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,221,464 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 696,894 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up about 6.0% of Mawer Investment Management Ltd.'s holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. owned 1.27% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $1,321,501,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MMC. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,739,515 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $9,503,120,000 after acquiring an additional 356,618 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.2% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,236,186,000. Amundi grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 4,072,976 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $860,824,000 after buying an additional 1,823,807 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.8% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,999,771 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $892,309,000 after buying an additional 184,239 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

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Insider Activity

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $1,673,221.37. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. This trade represents a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MMC stock traded up $2.03 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $244.86. 788,516 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,804,844. The firm has a market cap of $120.26 billion, a PE ratio of 29.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $231.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $224.41. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.17 and a 1-year high of $246.27.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS 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 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MMC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. 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 note on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.