Waverton Investment Management Ltd Grows Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Waverton Investment Management Ltd increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 2.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,205,958 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 32,308 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for about 4.6% of Waverton Investment Management Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Waverton Investment Management Ltd owned about 0.24% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $294,284,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MMC. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 worth $9,503,120,000 after purchasing an additional 356,618 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 145,134 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew 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 acquiring an additional 96,750 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 726,713 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,236,186,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MMC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group upped their price target 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 cut 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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 report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $241.93.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, 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 transaction of $2,344,405.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,129,075. This represents a 31.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,522 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,326,412. This trade represents a 14.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:MMC opened at $216.01 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $224.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $224.60. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $207.21 and a 12-month high of $248.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $106.44 billion, a PE ratio of 26.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.08 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 32.19%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.89 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share 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.

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