Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Grows Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 8.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 538,736 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 41,828 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $114,433,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 368,711 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $78,318,000 after acquiring an additional 23,684 shares during the last quarter. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $1,085,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1,644.1% during the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 1,622 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $345,000 after purchasing an additional 1,529 shares during the last quarter. AKO Capital LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. AKO Capital LLP now owns 2,062,828 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $438,165,000 after buying an additional 89,594 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,236,186,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 57,828 shares of company stock valued at $13,350,279 over the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on MMC. 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. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $233.41.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $242.39 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.17 and a 1-year high of $243.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.04 billion, a PE ratio of 29.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $229.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $224.17.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. As a group, analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.80%.

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.