Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Sells 248,972 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA reduced its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 2.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,097,141 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 248,972 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises 0.8% of Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA's holdings, making the stock its 19th largest position. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA owned about 2.05% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $2,464,005,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. 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 buying an additional 356,618 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 worth $2,554,841,000 after purchasing an additional 145,134 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 96,750 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in 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 valued at $1,260,513,000 after acquiring an additional 726,713 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $1,236,186,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.9%

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded down $1.86 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $211.71. The stock had a trading volume of 1,170,910 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,978,898. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $104.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.80. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $207.21 and a 12-month high of $248.00. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $222.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $224.83.

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. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 32.19%. The firm 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 company earned $2.89 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, July 24th will be paid a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 24th. This is a boost from Marsh & McLennan Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.82. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.70%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is 44.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MMC shares. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 target price on the stock. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $249.00 to $233.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $215.00 to $214.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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 report on Thursday, July 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $240.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.