The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Purchases 81,873 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 9.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 981,589 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 81,873 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.20% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $208,499,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $4,919,096.95. This trade represents a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 in the last quarter. 0.35% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.6 %

MMC opened at $220.51 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $108.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average of $231.57 and a 200 day moving average of $224.59.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 39.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on MMC shares. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price target for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.