Bell Asset Management Ltd Purchases 3,595 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Bell Asset Management Ltd lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 12.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 32,465 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,595 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up about 1.3% of Bell Asset Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Bell Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $6,896,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This trade represents a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 67,397 shares of company stock worth $15,694,684. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $229.94 on Monday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $196.17 and a fifty-two week high of $248.00. 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 company has a market cap of $113.34 billion, a PE ratio of 28.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $232.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $224.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

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

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.