Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Sold by Foyston Gordon & Payne Inc

Foyston Gordon & Payne Inc reduced its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 46,866 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 587 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up 2.6% of Foyston Gordon & Payne Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Foyston Gordon & Payne Inc’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $9,955,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,739,515 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,503,120,000 after buying an additional 356,618 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,050,565 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,554,841,000 after acquiring an additional 145,134 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,151,020 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,156,179,000 after acquiring an additional 96,750 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,934,340 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,260,513,000 after purchasing an additional 726,713 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $1,236,186,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,520,202.64. The trade was a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the firm’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 $1,673,221.37. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on MMC. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Two equities 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $241.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE MMC opened at $226.79 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $201.77 and a fifty-two week high of $248.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $111.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $230.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 39.95%.

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.