CX Institutional Boosts Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

CX Institutional lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 5.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,852 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,648 shares during the quarter. CX Institutional’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $8,505,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,236,186,000. Stifel Financial Corp raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 551.0% in the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 2,224,932 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $472,599,000 after acquiring an additional 1,883,146 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 4,072,976 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $860,824,000 after buying an additional 1,823,807 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 32,120.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,515,670 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $369,869,000 after buying an additional 1,510,966 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $207,278,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $218.13 on Wednesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $207.21 and a 52-week 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 company’s 50-day simple moving average is $226.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $225.64. The firm has a market cap of $107.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.83.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 EPS 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 the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on MMC. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays raised their price target 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 lifted their price objective 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. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Two 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $241.93.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total transaction of $550,302.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,326,412. This represents a 14.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,569 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.00, for a total transaction of $2,344,405.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $5,129,075. The trade was a 31.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.