Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Stake Lifted by Blair William & Co. IL

Blair William & Co. IL lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 4.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 42,763 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,974 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $9,083,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MMC. Townsquare Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 53.6% in the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 10,130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,260,000 after purchasing an additional 3,535 shares during the last quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 15.0% in the third quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 2,894 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $646,000 after buying an additional 377 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.1% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 17,249 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,848,000 after buying an additional 516 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 112,830 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,171,000 after acquiring an additional 5,002 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Edgestream Partners L.P. raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 632.2% during the third quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 17,104 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,816,000 after purchasing an additional 14,768 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE MMC opened at $242.39 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $196.17 and a fifty-two week high of $243.89. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $229.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.11. The firm has a market cap of $119.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.60, a price-to-earnings-growth 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.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. On average, analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This trade represents a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 57,828 shares of company stock worth $13,350,279 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MMC. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 target price on the stock. 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, 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 report on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $233.41.

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.