Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Decreases Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans cut its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 42.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 197,344 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 144,846 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $41,984,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MMC. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.2% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,905,431 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,648,304,000 after purchasing an additional 251,361 shares during the period. Louisbourg Investments Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 67.2% in the 4th quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 8,211 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,744,000 after acquiring an additional 3,300 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.8% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 508,245 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $113,384,000 after acquiring an additional 23,445 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 197.5% during the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 11,116 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,480,000 after purchasing an additional 7,380 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 85,424 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $19,461,000 after purchasing an additional 3,553 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of MMC traded up $2.51 on Monday, hitting $234.82. 2,226,472 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,639,176. The firm has a market capitalization of $115.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.17 and a 1 year high of $241.84. The stock'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 announced 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.39%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 39.80%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,520,202.64. The trade was a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 57,828 shares of company stock valued at $13,350,279. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on MMC shares. Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Evercore ISI restated an "outperform" rating and set a $242.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "sector perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently 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.