Nearwater Capital Markets Ltd Makes New Investment in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Nearwater Capital Markets Ltd bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 114,519 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $24,325,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MMC. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE:MMC opened at $224.13 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $229.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $224.71. 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 has a market capitalization of $110.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.37, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $201.77 and a one year high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.08 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.89 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.45%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total value of $550,302.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,326,412. This represents a 14.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MMC shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $241.93.

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.