USS Investment Management Ltd Decreases Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

USS Investment Management Ltd lowered its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 95,145 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 2,616 shares during the quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $20,212,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MMC. Modera Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,885 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,324 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $281,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 768 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $163,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, New England Professional Planning Group Inc. raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. New England Professional Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,261 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of MMC stock traded up $1.04 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $229.51. 1,514,191 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,925,277. The stock has a market cap of $113.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.02, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $229.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $225.16. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $201.77 and a fifty-two 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.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd were issued a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.42%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.95%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $1,673,221.37. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMC has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective 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. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of 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. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.