Capital Investment Advisors LLC Grows Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 3,623.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 113,378 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 110,333 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $27,668,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMC traded down $7.51 on Monday, hitting $222.50. 2,528,473 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,927,581. The firm has a market capitalization of $109.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $207.06 and a 1-year high of $248.00. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $227.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $225.73.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced 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 company 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 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd were issued a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is currently 39.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on MMC. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on 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. Barclays raised 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 boosted their target price 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, UBS Group increased 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 report 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $241.93.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total transaction of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total transaction of $550,302.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,326,412. This trade represents a 14.20% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 61,196 shares of company stock worth $14,262,309 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

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.