Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. Trims Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. reduced its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 30.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 217,622 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 94,517 shares during the quarter. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $46,225,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MMC. Louisbourg Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 67.2% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Czech National Bank raised 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 worth $22,618,000 after purchasing an additional 6,310 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 191,512 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,679,000 after purchasing an additional 16,464 shares in the last quarter. Brentview Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,635,000. Finally, Occidental Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.7% during 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. The trade was a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,520,202.64. This trade represents a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MMC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $239.53.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC opened at $220.15 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.72 and a 12-month high of $248.00. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $232.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $108.51 billion, a PE ratio of 26.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.89 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid 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 yield of 1.48%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 39.95%.

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.