AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Has $24.81 Million Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc lowered its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 15.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 101,675 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 18,735 shares during the period. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $24,811,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,739,515 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $9,503,120,000 after purchasing an additional 356,618 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% in the fourth 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 buying an additional 145,134 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.0% during 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 buying an additional 96,750 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,934,340 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,260,513,000 after acquiring an additional 726,713 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,236,186,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MMC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective 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. Barclays lifted their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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 note on Thursday, April 10th. Raymond James reiterated 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. Finally, Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 target price on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $241.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 1.6%

MMC traded down $3.71 during trading on Thursday, reaching $228.61. 1,764,411 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,157,213. 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's 50-day moving average is $228.34 and its 200 day moving average is $225.60. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $207.06 and a 12 month high of $248.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $112.64 billion, a PE ratio of 27.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.89 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd were paid a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies 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 sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 over the last ninety days. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.