Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 20.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 330,506 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 56,215 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned about 0.07% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $70,203,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 214,090 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $45,475,000 after acquiring an additional 3,743 shares during the last quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 39.7% during the fourth quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 24,621 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,219,000 after purchasing an additional 6,997 shares in the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $13,957,000. Horizon Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 11,569 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,448,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the period. Finally, PDS Planning Inc lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 15.4% during the 4th quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 2,987 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $635,000 after buying an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.
Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance
Shares of NYSE MMC traded up $2.51 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $234.82. 2,226,472 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,639,176. The company has a market capitalization of $115.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.67, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.17 and a 1 year high of $241.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company's 50-day moving average is $227.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $223.74.
Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.80%.
Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies
In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 owns 28,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 57,828 shares of company stock worth $13,350,279. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
MMC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price target (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $230.44.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on MMC
Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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