Bellwether Advisors LLC Reduces Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Bellwether Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 12.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,728 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,452 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises about 0.9% of Bellwether Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Bellwether Advisors LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $5,040,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,739,515 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $9,503,120,000 after acquiring an additional 356,618 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,050,565 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,554,841,000 after purchasing an additional 145,134 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,151,020 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,156,179,000 after acquiring an additional 96,750 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $1,236,186,000. Finally, Amundi increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,072,976 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $860,824,000 after buying an additional 1,823,807 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were 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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Redburn Atlantic began 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 target for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 price objective (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 given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $241.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 1.7 %

NYSE:MMC traded up $3.69 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $225.69. The stock had a trading volume of 3,263,609 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,880,319. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $231.32 and a 200 day moving average of $224.58. The company has a market capitalization of $111.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.56, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $196.72 and a one year 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, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.08 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.89 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.44%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 39.95%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.