Stanley Laman Group Ltd. Purchases New Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Stanley Laman Group Ltd. acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,220 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $298,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. City Holding Co. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the first quarter valued at about $37,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of MMC stock traded down $2.21 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $217.19. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,574,516 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,934,595. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $207.21 and a 52-week high of $248.00. The stock has a market cap of $107.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.52, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.83. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $226.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $225.40.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 analysts' expectations of $7.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.89 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total transaction of $550,302.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,326,412. This represents a 14.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,569 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.00, for a total value of $2,344,405.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,129,075. This trade represents a 31.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on MMC. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Two 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $241.93.

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.