Primecap Management Co. CA Reduces Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Primecap Management Co. CA trimmed its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 4.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,732,326 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 136,415 shares during the period. Primecap Management Co. CA owned about 0.56% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $580,373,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 21,445,110 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,784,190,000 after purchasing an additional 518,185 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised 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 buying an additional 251,361 shares during the period. Parnassus Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 4,274,880 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $953,683,000 after acquiring an additional 85,754 shares during the period. Amundi grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 4,072,976 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $860,824,000 after acquiring an additional 1,823,807 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.8% during the third 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.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the 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 transaction, the vice president now 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. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 57,828 shares of company stock worth $13,350,279. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE MMC traded down $1.32 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $232.05. The company had a trading volume of 3,067,065 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,641,752. The business has a 50 day moving average of $226.65 and a 200-day moving average of $223.79. The company has a market cap of $113.97 billion, a PE ratio of 28.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.17 and a 1-year high of $241.84. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MMC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 target price (up 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 issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $230.44.

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.