Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Invests $1.91 Million in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 8,975 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,906,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in 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 worth $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 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 acquiring an additional 145,134 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.0% in 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 acquiring an additional 96,750 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,934,340 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,260,513,000 after purchasing an additional 726,713 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $1,236,186,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:MMC traded up $1.78 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $231.30. The company had a trading volume of 994,131 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,919,828. The business's 50 day moving average price is $228.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $225.26. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $201.84 and a 1-year 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 $113.97 billion, a PE ratio of 28.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. The firm 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 previous year, the firm earned $2.89 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd were given a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.95%.

Insider Activity

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total value of $550,302.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares in the company, valued at $3,326,412. This represents a 14.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies 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 $1,673,221.37. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MMC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. 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. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of 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. 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 note on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $241.93.

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.