Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC Increases Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 38,435 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares during the quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $8,164,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth $31,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on MMC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:MMC opened at $237.95 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $221.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $223.18. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $196.17 and a twelve month high of $241.84. 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 company has a market capitalization of $116.86 billion, a PE ratio of 29.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.96.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.37%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.