Cottonwood Capital Advisors LLC Lowers Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Cottonwood Capital Advisors LLC cut its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 16.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 896 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 172 shares during the quarter. Cottonwood Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $219,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. City Holding Co. acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMC opened at $216.35 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $207.21 and a 1 year high of $248.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $106.60 billion, a PE ratio of 26.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.83. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $224.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $224.61.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.08 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 32.19%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on MMC shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on 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. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on 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 assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price target for the company. 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. Finally, Barclays boosted 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $241.93.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 owns 13,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,326,412. This represents a 14.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,569 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.