Meeder Advisory Services Inc. Grows Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Meeder Advisory Services Inc. grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,060 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,712,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,050,565 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,554,841,000 after acquiring an additional 145,134 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 655,909 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $139,326,000 after purchasing an additional 24,746 shares during the period. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 10,629 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,423,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 473.2% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 927,525 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $197,016,000 after purchasing an additional 765,696 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 13,024 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,766,000 after buying an additional 370 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on MMC shares. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $233.41.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,569 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $5,129,075. This trade represents a 31.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 67,397 shares of company stock worth $15,694,684. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MMC stock opened at $243.72 on Thursday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $196.17 and a one year high of $245.98. The firm has a market cap of $119.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.76, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $231.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $224.41.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

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.