Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Has $2.41 Million Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lowered its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 32.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,358 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 5,564 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $2,413,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MMC traded up $2.00 during trading on Friday, reaching $226.00. 382,215 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,875,786. The stock has a market cap of $111.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.61, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. 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 firm's fifty day simple moving average is $231.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $224.55. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.72 and a 12-month high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.08 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.89 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share 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 given a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.44%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. UBS Group lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $241.93.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total transaction of $11,367,602.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986. Insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

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.