Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Has $10.90 Million Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 5.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 51,333 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,690 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $10,904,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Louisbourg Investments Inc. grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 67.2% during the fourth quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 8,211 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,744,000 after acquiring an additional 3,300 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 191,512 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $40,679,000 after buying an additional 16,464 shares in the last quarter. Brentview Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,635,000. Bell Asset Management Ltd raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 12.5% in the 4th quarter. Bell Asset Management Ltd now owns 32,465 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $6,896,000 after acquiring an additional 3,595 shares during the period. Finally, Mariner LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 448,546 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $95,275,000 after acquiring an additional 6,125 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, 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 value of $1,673,221.37. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. The trade was a 25.38% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total transaction of $550,302.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,522 shares in the company, 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MMC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $281.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $241.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MMC stock traded down $1.11 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $233.75. The company had a trading volume of 379,799 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,914,120. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $228.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $225.55. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $205.90 and a fifty-two week high of $248.00. The company has a market cap of $115.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick 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 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 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.89 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd were given a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.