Woodline Partners LP Invests $821,000 in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Woodline Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,864 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $821,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on MMC shares. UBS Group boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 target price (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, 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 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $241.93.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. Insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986 in the last 90 days. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MMC traded up $1.78 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $231.30. 994,131 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,917,932. The firm has a market capitalization of $113.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.24, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. 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 one year low of $201.77 and a one year high of $248.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $228.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $225.26.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.89 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd were given a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is presently 39.95%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.