Portside Wealth Group LLC Takes Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Portside Wealth Group LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,275 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $311,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,739,515 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $9,503,120,000 after acquiring an additional 356,618 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% during 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 purchasing an additional 145,134 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.0% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,934,340 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,260,513,000 after buying an additional 726,713 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,236,186,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MMC traded down $2.21 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $217.19. 1,574,516 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,938,559. The stock has a market capitalization of $107.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.83. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $207.21 and a 52-week 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 company's fifty day moving average price is $226.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $225.40.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 prior year, the company earned $2.89 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total transaction of $550,302.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,326,412. The trade was a 14.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,569 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.00, for a total value of $2,344,405.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,129,075. The trade was a 31.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on MMC shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on 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. UBS Group increased 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 report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays raised 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 note on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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 research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price target for the company. Two equities 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.