Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Position Lessened by Bennett Selby Investments LP

Bennett Selby Investments LP trimmed its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 0.3% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 36,437 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for about 3.5% of Bennett Selby Investments LP’s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Bennett Selby Investments LP’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $8,892,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of MMC. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,739,515 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,503,120,000 after buying an additional 356,618 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,050,565 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,554,841,000 after buying an additional 145,134 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,151,020 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,156,179,000 after buying an additional 96,750 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,934,340 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,260,513,000 after buying an additional 726,713 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,236,186,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.6%

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $230.13 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 has a fifty day simple moving average of $227.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $225.73. The company has a market cap of $113.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.83. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $207.06 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. Research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd were paid a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.95%.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,919,096.95. The trade was a 25.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on MMC. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on 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 boosted 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. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective on the stock. Two 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 data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.