Vident Advisory LLC Buys 1,234 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Vident Advisory LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 9.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,977 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,234 shares during the quarter. Vident Advisory LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $3,182,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Modera Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,885 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $400,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,324 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $281,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 768 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $163,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. now owns 5,762 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,224,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New England Professional Planning Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. New England Professional Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,261 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $268,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total value of $550,302.00. Following the transaction, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $230.80 on Wednesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $201.77 and a 12-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. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $229.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $225.00. The stock has a market cap of $113.72 billion, a PE ratio of 28.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 in the previous year, the business posted $2.89 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 1.41%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MMC shares. Barclays lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Raymond James reaffirmed 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. 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic began 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $241.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

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.