Janus Henderson Group PLC Lowers Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Janus Henderson Group PLC trimmed its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,065,496 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 105,641 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $438,749,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MMC opened at $226.79 on Friday. 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 company’s fifty day simple moving average is $230.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $224.66. The company has a market cap of $111.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.69, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $201.77 and a 1-year high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released 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 firm had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.89 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on MMC shares. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 target price on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $241.93.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the firm’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 $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 approximately $4,919,096.95. This trade represents a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

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.