Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Lowers Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Mawer Investment Management Ltd. lowered its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 10.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,221,464 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 696,894 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up about 6.0% of Mawer Investment Management Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. owned approximately 1.27% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $1,321,501,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.2% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,905,431 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,648,304,000 after purchasing an additional 251,361 shares in the last quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 67.2% in the 4th quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 8,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,744,000 after buying an additional 3,300 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 197.5% in the 3rd quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 11,116 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,480,000 after buying an additional 7,380 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 85,424 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,461,000 after acquiring an additional 3,553 shares during the period. Finally, Czech National Bank boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 106,485 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $22,618,000 after acquiring an additional 6,310 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were 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 owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 57,828 shares of company stock valued at $13,350,279. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $242.39 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $229.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $224.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.17 and a 52-week high of $243.89. The company has a market capitalization of $119.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its 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 net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. Equities analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MMC. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of 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, Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $233.41.

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.