Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC Cuts Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 8.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $398,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Valley National Advisers Inc. raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 343.3% in the fourth quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 133 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Headinvest LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Cordant Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $205.55 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $202.89 and a 200-day moving average of $197.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $171.47 and a 52-week high of $209.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.09, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.90.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $2.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.80 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.38 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 34.14% and a net margin of 16.84%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.53 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.71 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 4th will be given a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 3rd. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 36.04%.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,461 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.16, for a total value of $305,582.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $611,374.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,169 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $202.00, for a total value of $438,138.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 14,199 shares in the company, valued at $2,868,198. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,461 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.16, for a total transaction of $305,582.76. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $611,374.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 36,751 shares of company stock valued at $7,448,163. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $238.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $185.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $207.69.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc, a professional services company, provides advice and solutions to clients in the areas of risk, strategy, and people worldwide. It operates through Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment offers risk management services, such as risk advice, risk transfer, and risk control and mitigation solutions, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking, strategic advisory services, and analytics solutions, and insurance program management services.