DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale Lowers Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale decreased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 1.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,175,283 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 18,008 shares during the quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale owned approximately 0.24% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $280,074,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $1,236,186,000. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in 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 worth $472,599,000 after acquiring an additional 1,883,146 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in 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 worth $369,869,000 after acquiring an additional 1,510,966 shares during the last quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 153.6% during the first quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd now owns 2,370,678 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $578,517,000 after acquiring an additional 1,436,044 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 473.2% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 927,525 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $197,016,000 after acquiring an additional 765,696 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:MMC traded down $3.09 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $211.62. The stock had a trading volume of 2,234,444 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,977,617. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $207.21 and a 1 year high of $248.00. The firm's 50 day moving average is $222.70 and its 200-day moving average is $224.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $104.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.80.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.08 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 32.19%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.89 EPS. Research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 24th will be given a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.70%. This is an increase from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 24th. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $215.00 to $214.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $281.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $228.00 to $229.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $240.50.

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.