Rathbones Group PLC Increases Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Rathbones Group PLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 12.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 655,849 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 70,682 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLC owned 0.13% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $139,309,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $1,236,186,000. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,823,807 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7,320.9% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,108,758 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $235,511,000 after purchasing an additional 1,093,817 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $207,278,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 473.2% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 927,525 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $197,016,000 after buying an additional 765,696 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

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 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the company's 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 $309,455.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMC traded up $4.75 during trading on Friday, hitting $233.52. 2,500,152 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,850,884. The company has a market cap of $115.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $232.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $224.62. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.17 and a 52-week high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 39.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MMC has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $236.12.

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.