Savant Capital LLC Grows Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Savant Capital LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,051 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 310 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,922,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MMC. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7,320.9% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,108,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $235,511,000 after buying an additional 1,093,817 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 21,445,110 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,784,190,000 after purchasing an additional 518,185 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 127.9% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 899,716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $200,718,000 after purchasing an additional 504,897 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 31,846.5% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 427,764 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $95,430,000 after purchasing an additional 426,425 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 219.5% in the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 529,239 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $118,068,000 after purchasing an additional 363,569 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.9 %

MMC opened at $231.06 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $216.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $221.83. The company has a market cap of $113.48 billion, a PE ratio of 28.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.96. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $195.99 and a 1 year high of $235.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. Sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 25th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $230.44.

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.