Scotia Capital Inc. Purchases 13,312 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Scotia Capital Inc. raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 16.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 96,728 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 13,312 shares during the period. Scotia Capital Inc.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $20,546,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MMC. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,739,515 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $9,503,120,000 after buying an additional 356,618 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,050,565 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,554,841,000 after purchasing an additional 145,134 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,236,186,000. Amundi increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,072,976 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $860,824,000 after acquiring an additional 1,823,807 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.8% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,999,771 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $892,309,000 after acquiring an additional 184,239 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This trade represents a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies 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 $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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded down $2.86 on Tuesday, reaching $234.46. 1,121,956 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,849,822. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.17 and a 1-year high of $248.00. The firm has a market cap of $115.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The company's 50-day moving average is $233.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS 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, research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.39%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 39.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MMC has been the topic of a number of recent 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, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday. Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.