UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Grows Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 13.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,218,488 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 609,602 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned about 1.06% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $1,108,459,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of MMC. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th 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. Amundi increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 4,072,976 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $860,824,000 after acquiring an additional 1,823,807 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $207,278,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 473.2% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 927,525 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $197,016,000 after purchasing an additional 765,696 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,326,412. The trade was a 14.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE:MMC opened at $231.74 on Tuesday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $229.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $224.96. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $201.77 and a 12 month high of $248.00. The firm has a market cap of $114.18 billion, a PE ratio of 28.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.89 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MMC shares. Barclays lifted 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 report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $241.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.

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