Yoffe Investment Management LLC Acquires Shares of 1,500 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Yoffe Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,500 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $319,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MMC. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,739,515 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $9,503,120,000 after purchasing an additional 356,618 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in 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 worth $2,554,841,000 after buying an additional 145,134 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,151,020 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,156,179,000 after purchasing an additional 96,750 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake 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 valued at $1,260,513,000 after buying an additional 726,713 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $1,236,186,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total transaction of $550,302.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares in the company, valued at $3,326,412. This represents a 14.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 target price (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on 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. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $241.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of MMC traded up $2.02 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $233.51. The company had a trading volume of 3,744,218 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,927,163. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $201.84 and a 1 year high of $248.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $115.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $228.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $225.32.

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. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.89 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current 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 issued a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date 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.