Vinva Investment Management Ltd Purchases 6,997 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Vinva Investment Management Ltd boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 39.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 24,621 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,997 shares during the quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $5,219,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $13,957,000. Horizon Investments LLC raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 11,569 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,448,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 15.4% in the 4th quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 2,987 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $635,000 after purchasing an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 21.5% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC now owns 144,628 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,720,000 after purchasing an additional 25,554 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avalon Trust Co raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3,379.5% in the 4th quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 2,714 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $576,000 after purchasing an additional 2,636 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE MMC opened at $232.59 on Thursday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.17 and a 12 month high of $241.84. The stock has a market cap of $114.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.40, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The company’s 50 day moving average is $226.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $223.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. As a group, research analysts anticipate 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on MMC. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a 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 upped their price objective for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $230.44.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. This trade represents a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 57,828 shares of company stock worth $13,350,279 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.