Sawgrass Asset Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Sawgrass Asset Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,912 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 2,537 shares during the quarter. Sawgrass Asset Management LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $8,903,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. FMR LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 21,445,110 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,784,190,000 after buying an additional 518,185 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake 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 worth $2,648,304,000 after acquiring an additional 251,361 shares in the last quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.0% during the third quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 4,274,880 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $953,683,000 after purchasing an additional 85,754 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,703,862 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $603,205,000 after buying an additional 30,367 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MMC traded down $2.15 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $228.95. 1,691,925 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,370,855. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $216.79 and a 200-day moving average of $221.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.14. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $196.17 and a one year high of $235.50. The firm has a market cap of $112.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.95, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.96.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on MMC shares. Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday, November 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.