Voya Investment Management LLC Increases Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Voya Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 18.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 202,440 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 31,455 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $43,000,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Louisbourg Investments Inc. increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 67.2% in the fourth quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 8,211 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,744,000 after buying an additional 3,300 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 106,485 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $22,618,000 after purchasing an additional 6,310 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 191,512 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $40,679,000 after purchasing an additional 16,464 shares during the last quarter. Brentview Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $3,635,000. Finally, Occidental Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. Occidental Asset Management LLC now owns 19,359 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,112,000 after buying an additional 1,555 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on MMC. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised 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, April 11th. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $241.93.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the business'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 transaction 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. The trade was a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total transaction of $550,302.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,522 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,326,412. This trade represents a 14.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of MMC traded up $1.27 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $220.51. The company had a trading volume of 2,196,846 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,874,379. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.72 and a 1-year high of $248.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $231.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $224.59. The stock has a market cap of $108.65 billion, a PE ratio of 26.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. The business had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.89 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.95%.

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.