Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Acquired by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 62.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 503,100 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 193,200 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned approximately 0.10% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $106,863,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 2.0 %

NYSE:MMC traded up $4.67 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $238.01. The company's stock had a trading volume of 527,914 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,188,466. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $232.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $224.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company has a market capitalization of $117.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.17 and a 12 month high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.37%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 39.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. 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. UBS Group increased 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, April 9th. Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. 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. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $236.12.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total transaction of $550,302.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,326,412. The trade was a 14.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were 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 directly owns 2,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by 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.