Sabal Trust CO Invests $26.89 Million in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Sabal Trust CO acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 110,182 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $26,888,000. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for about 1.5% of Sabal Trust CO's holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during 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 raised its position 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 worth $2,554,841,000 after purchasing an additional 145,134 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.0% during 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 period. 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 $1,236,186,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,569 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.00, for a total transaction of $2,344,405.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $5,129,075. This represents a 31.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,326,412. The trade was a 14.20% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MMC. UBS Group boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on 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 upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $241.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.4%

NYSE MMC traded up $0.97 on Friday, reaching $216.99. The stock had a trading volume of 2,378,676 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,944,232. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $224.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $224.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $207.21 and a 1 year high of $248.00. The company has a market capitalization of $106.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.83.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued 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 return on equity of 32.19% and a net margin of 16.13%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.89 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.