Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc. increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 16.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 37,477 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,206 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises about 1.8% of Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $7,553,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.8% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 46,158,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,092,108,000 after acquiring an additional 837,117 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,684,210 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,762,513,000 after purchasing an additional 196,475 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the second quarter worth $1,328,587,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.5% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,345,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,060,362,000 after buying an additional 340,907 shares during the period. Finally, Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% during the second quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 3,443,454 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $752,877,000 after buying an additional 32,118 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.22, for a total transaction of $3,841,015.38. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 87,681 shares in the company, valued at $15,977,231.82. This represents a 19.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MMC shares. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. They set a “sector perform” rating and a $200.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $243.00 to $237.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $211.00 to $201.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Mizuho assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $212.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $258.00 to $257.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $222.35.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMC opened at $186.40 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $185.11 and its 200 day moving average is $200.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $174.18 and a 52 week high of $248.00. The stock has a market cap of $91.32 billion, a PE ratio of 22.35, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.75.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.07. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.79% and a net margin of 15.60%.The firm had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.34 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.63 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

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.