New Vernon Investment Management LLC Acquires New Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

New Vernon Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 7,313 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,553,000. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up about 0.9% of New Vernon Investment Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 18th largest position.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $75,000. Virtu Financial LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.3% during the third quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 12,756 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,846,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.6% in the third quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 10,499 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,329,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 487.5% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 517 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $115,000 after purchasing an additional 429 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 29.9% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,223 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,842,000 after purchasing an additional 3,962 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MMC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective 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. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Two investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $241.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:MMC traded up $0.41 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $219.37. 3,174,623 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,873,084. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $196.72 and a twelve month high of $248.00. 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 company has a fifty day moving average price of $231.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $224.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $108.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

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 issued a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.49%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 39.95%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $1,673,221.37. Following 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986. 0.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.