Avantax Advisory Services Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 28,788 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,612 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $6,115,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.0 %

MMC opened at $229.73 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.17 and a 12 month high of $241.84. 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 stock has a market cap of $112.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $224.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $223.57.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. As a group, research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. This trade represents a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.