Russell Investments Group Ltd. Cuts Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lowered its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 461,564 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 23,444 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.09% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $97,980,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 target price (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Two 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.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $234.65.

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Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 1.8 %

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded up $4.15 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $232.92. 670,250 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,844,250. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $114.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.43, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $232.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $224.55. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $196.17 and a fifty-two week high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total transaction of $550,302.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,522 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,326,412. The trade was a 14.20 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,569 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.00, for a total transaction of $2,344,405.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,129,075. This represents a 31.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

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.