Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC Takes Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 949 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $202,000.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $531,000. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI now owns 25,426 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,401,000 after purchasing an additional 1,302 shares during the period. Amundi raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 4,072,976 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $860,824,000 after purchasing an additional 1,823,807 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 15.2% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 13,467 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,860,000 after purchasing an additional 1,777 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 82.7% during the fourth quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 241,568 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $51,325,000 after buying an additional 109,363 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MMC stock opened at $235.87 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $115.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.17 and a 52-week high of $241.84. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $223.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $223.42. 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 (NYSE:MMC) last announced 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 return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. Research analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on MMC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on 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. Raymond James restated 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $230.44.

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.