Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Purchased by Royal London Asset Management Ltd.

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 210,347 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,164 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $46,926,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% during the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 100.0% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of MMC stock traded down $3.10 on Friday, reaching $225.16. 1,311,257 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,695,293. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The business's 50 day moving average price is $224.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $220.32. The company has a market capitalization of $110.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.73, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.94. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $184.28 and a twelve month high of $235.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.02. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.82% and a return on equity of 32.65%. The company had revenue of $5.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 4th were paid a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 40.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total transaction of $553,875.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 48,549 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,756,030.95. This trade represents a 4.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $219.00 to $222.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $227.60.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc, a professional services company, provides advice and solutions to clients in the areas of risk, strategy, and people worldwide. It operates through Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment offers risk management services, such as risk advice, risk transfer, and risk control and mitigation solutions, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking, strategic advisory services, and analytics solutions, and insurance program management services.