Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC Acquires 1,142 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 19.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,957 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,142 shares during the period. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,478,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE MMC opened at $228.47 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $201.77 and a twelve month high of $248.00. 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 has a market cap of $112.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.90, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $229.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $225.08.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share 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 period in the prior year, the company posted $2.89 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on MMC shares. Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 price objective (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock 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 given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $241.93.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $1,673,221.37. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38% 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, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.

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