AKO Capital LLP Purchases 89,594 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

AKO Capital LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,062,828 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 89,594 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up approximately 6.1% of AKO Capital LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. AKO Capital LLP’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $438,165,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $1,236,186,000. Blair William & Co. IL increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 42,763 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,083,000 after acquiring an additional 1,974 shares during the period. NEOS Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 30.2% during the 4th quarter. NEOS Investment Management LLC now owns 26,822 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,697,000 after purchasing an additional 6,216 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 30.2% in the 4th quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 31,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,755,000 after purchasing an additional 7,376 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sava Infond d.o.o. acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $680,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.9 %

NYSE MMC opened at $238.72 on Thursday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $196.17 and a twelve month high of $241.84. The stock has a market cap of $117.24 billion, a PE ratio of 29.15, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $228.56 and a 200 day simple moving average of $223.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.37%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $233.41.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $4,919,096.95. This 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 in the last 90 days. Corporate 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.