Nebula Research & Development LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Nebula Research & Development LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 139.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,115 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,732 shares during the period. Nebula Research & Development LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,724,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.6 %

MMC traded up $1.27 during trading on Monday, hitting $220.51. 2,196,846 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,874,379. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $231.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $224.59. The firm has a market cap of $108.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.72 and a 1 year high of $248.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.08 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.89 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.48%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MMC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $241.93.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,919,096.95. This trade represents a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.