O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Acquires 1,434 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 80,799 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,434 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $17,163,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MMC. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC opened at $242.39 on Monday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $196.17 and a one year high of $243.89. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $229.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $224.08. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $119.04 billion, a PE 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at $6,520,202.64. The trade was a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares in the company, 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 90 days, insiders sold 57,828 shares of company stock worth $13,350,279. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MMC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $233.41.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.