Nomura Holdings Inc. Buys 15,084 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Nomura Holdings Inc. lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 1,376.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 16,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,084 shares during the period. Nomura Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $3,437,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MMC. Louisbourg Investments Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 67.2% in the fourth quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 8,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,744,000 after acquiring an additional 3,300 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 191,512 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,679,000 after acquiring an additional 16,464 shares in the last quarter. Brentview Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,635,000. Occidental Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Occidental Asset Management LLC now owns 19,359 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,112,000 after acquiring an additional 1,555 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bell Asset Management Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Bell Asset Management Ltd now owns 32,465 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,896,000 after purchasing an additional 3,595 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMC opened at $227.14 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $229.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $224.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $111.92 billion, a PE ratio of 27.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $201.77 and a twelve month high of $248.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. The business had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.89 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd were issued 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 was Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective 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. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $241.93.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total value of $550,302.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,326,412. The trade was a 14.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,569 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.00, for a total value of $2,344,405.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,129,075. The trade was a 31.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

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.