GAMMA Investing LLC Acquires 1,510,966 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 32,120.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,515,670 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,510,966 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC owned approximately 0.31% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $369,869,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MMC. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MMC stock traded down $0.90 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $233.96. 451,555 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,914,484. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $228.54 and a 200-day moving average price of $225.55. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $205.90 and a 52-week high of $248.00. The company has a market capitalization of $115.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $7.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.89 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd were issued a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 39.95%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the business'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 value of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at $6,520,202.64. The trade was a 63.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the business'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 transaction 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. The trade was a 31.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on MMC shares. Barclays increased their target price 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. 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 report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. UBS Group lifted their price target 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. Finally, Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $241.93.

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.