Fmr LLC Reduces Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Fmr LLC lowered its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 21,234,404 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 210,706 shares during the period. Fmr LLC owned approximately 4.32% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $4,510,400,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MMC. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total transaction of $11,367,602.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 67,397 shares of company stock valued at $15,694,684 over the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $229.94 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $232.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.52. The company has a market capitalization of $113.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.17 and a 12-month high of $248.00.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on 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. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $233.41.

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.