Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Acquired by World Investment Advisors LLC

World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 29.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 17,223 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,962 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $3,842,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% in the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 100.0% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 712.5% in the second quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 195 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on MMC. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $211.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $228.13.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total value of $553,875.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 48,549 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,756,030.95. This represents a 4.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded down $0.85 during trading on Friday, hitting $215.07. 1,520,297 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,704,935. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $184.28 and a 52-week high of $235.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $105.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.49, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $224.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $220.67.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $5.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.71 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 16.82%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.57 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.68 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 4th were paid a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 40.15%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc, a professional services company, provides advice and solutions to clients in the areas of risk, strategy, and people worldwide. It operates through Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment offers risk management services, such as risk advice, risk transfer, and risk control and mitigation solutions, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking, strategic advisory services, and analytics solutions, and insurance program management services.