Phoenix Financial Ltd. Buys 3,107 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Phoenix Financial Ltd. boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 6.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 51,317 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 3,107 shares during the period. Phoenix Financial Ltd.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $10,900,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MMC. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,739,515 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $9,503,120,000 after purchasing an additional 356,618 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,050,565 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,554,841,000 after acquiring an additional 145,134 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $1,236,186,000. Amundi increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,072,976 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $860,824,000 after purchasing an additional 1,823,807 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,999,771 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $892,309,000 after purchasing an additional 184,239 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $236.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,520,202.64. The trade was a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986 in the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC stock traded down $2.86 on Tuesday, hitting $234.46. 1,121,956 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,849,822. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $196.17 and a one year high of $248.00. The firm's 50 day moving average is $233.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $115.57 billion, a PE ratio of 28.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. Sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 payout ratio is 39.80%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.