Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Sells 478,474 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA reduced its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,346,113 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 478,474 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises approximately 0.7% of Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned approximately 2.11% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $2,197,618,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 453.1% in the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 21,570 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,813,000 after acquiring an additional 17,670 shares in the last quarter. Centiva Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,940,000. Hilltop Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 140.9% during the 3rd quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 8,396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,873,000 after buying an additional 4,911 shares in the last quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 27.5% in the 3rd quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 25,017 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,581,000 after buying an additional 5,400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.9% during the third quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 4,489 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,002,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 target price for the company. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $233.41.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $243.85 on Wednesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.17 and a 12 month high of $245.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $230.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $224.28.

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 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 forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,569 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.00, for a total value of $2,344,405.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,129,075. This represents a 31.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 67,397 shares of company stock valued at $15,694,684. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.