SRS Capital Advisors Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

SRS Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 6,913.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,034 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,005 shares during the period. SRS Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $432,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Kinsale Capital Group Inc. now owns 30,778 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,538,000 after purchasing an additional 3,774 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 20.8% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 6,494 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,377,000 after purchasing an additional 1,117 shares during the period. Bridges Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 49,405 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,494,000 after purchasing an additional 5,066 shares during the period. Finally, Levin Capital Strategies L.P. increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. now owns 65,228 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $13,855,000 after purchasing an additional 1,375 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MMC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price 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. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Barclays boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MMC stock opened at $239.53 on Tuesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.17 and a 1 year high of $239.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $221.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $222.97. The firm has a market cap of $117.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.25, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.96.

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, beating 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%. On average, sell-side 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.80%.

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.