Waverly Advisors LLC Raises Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Waverly Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 234.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,538 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,183 shares during the quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $964,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC traded up $2.09 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $231.42. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,314,364 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,922,833. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $229.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $225.19. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $201.77 and a 52-week high of $248.00. The company has a market cap of $114.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.26, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

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 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.08 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.89 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. The trade was 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 worth $16,244,986 over the last three months. 0.35% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on MMC. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target 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. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group upped their price objective 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 increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.