Conning Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Conning Inc. reduced its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 14.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,833 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,114 shares during the period. Conning Inc.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $4,352,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MMC. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,236,186,000. Stifel Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 551.0% during 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 period. Amundi increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,072,976 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $860,824,000 after buying an additional 1,823,807 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 32,120.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,515,670 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $369,869,000 after buying an additional 1,510,966 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $207,278,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMC traded down $2.04 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $213.04. 2,750,147 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,969,343. The company has a market cap of $104.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $207.21 and a one year high of $248.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $223.77 and a 200 day moving average of $224.83.

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. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.08 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.19% and a net margin of 16.13%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on MMC shares. UBS Group boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays dropped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $240.79.

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.