Rossby Financial LCC Buys New Shares in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Rossby Financial LCC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 3,409 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $724,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MMC. Louisbourg Investments Inc. lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 67.2% during the fourth quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 8,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,744,000 after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares during the period. Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 106,485 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $22,618,000 after buying an additional 6,310 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 191,512 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,679,000 after buying an additional 16,464 shares during the last quarter. Brentview Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,635,000. Finally, Occidental Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Occidental Asset Management LLC now owns 19,359 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,112,000 after purchasing an additional 1,555 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MMC. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Barclays boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $236.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This trade 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 this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $1,673,221.37. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC stock opened at $233.52 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $115.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.51, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $232.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $224.62. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.