Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Bought by California State Teachers Retirement System

California State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 858,104 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 9,043 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.17% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $182,270,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $1,236,186,000. Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 551.0% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 2,224,932 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $472,599,000 after buying an additional 1,883,146 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted 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 buying an additional 1,823,807 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7,320.9% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,108,758 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $235,511,000 after acquiring an additional 1,093,817 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $207,278,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm'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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total value of $550,302.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,326,412. The trade was a 14.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $241.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC stock traded down $1.36 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $224.11. 2,313,039 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,881,574. 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 company's 50 day moving average is $231.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.58. The company has a market cap of $110.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.72 and a 1 year high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.89 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.45%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is currently 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.