UMB Bank n.a. Grows Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 1,978.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,756 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 36,891 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $9,458,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,885 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $400,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 768 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $163,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. now owns 5,762 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,224,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. New England Professional Planning Group Inc. grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. New England Professional Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,261 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Gerber Kawasaki Wealth & Investment Management now owns 1,260 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MMC. Barclays lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of 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. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective 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. Finally, UBS Group lifted 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. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $241.93.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,569 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $5,129,075. This represents a 31.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 61,196 shares of company stock valued at $14,262,309 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 3.3%

Shares of MMC traded down $7.51 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $222.50. The company had a trading volume of 2,528,473 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,927,581. The company's fifty day moving average price is $227.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $225.73. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $207.06 and a one year high of $248.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The company has a market capitalization of $109.63 billion, a PE ratio of 27.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.83.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.08 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.89 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.95%.

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.