Voya Investment Management LLC Buys 31,455 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Voya Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 18.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 202,440 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 31,455 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $43,000,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC stock opened at $219.37 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $231.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $224.63. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.72 and a 12 month high of $248.00. 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 $108.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.79, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.08 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.89 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.49%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.95%.

Insider Activity

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 approximately $4,919,096.95. The trade was a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. UBS Group boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $241.93.

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.