Blueprint Investment Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 1,120 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Blueprint Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,120 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $238,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $46,215,000. Intellus Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $253,000. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 46.0% during the fourth quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 46,547 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,887,000 after buying an additional 14,659 shares during the period. Sciencast Management LP raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. Sciencast Management LP now owns 14,335 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,045,000 after buying an additional 1,809 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $281,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the 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 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 represents a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 57,828 shares of company stock valued at $13,350,279. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on MMC shares. Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MMC opened at $232.05 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $113.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average price of $227.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $223.74. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.17 and a 1 year high of $241.84.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. Equities 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 firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.80%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.