Focus Partners Wealth Has $6.02 Million Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 26.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 28,317 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 5,990 shares during the quarter. Focus Partners Wealth's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $6,015,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings 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 worth $9,503,120,000 after buying 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 worth $2,554,841,000 after purchasing an additional 145,134 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 96,750 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,934,340 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,260,513,000 after purchasing an additional 726,713 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,236,186,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $224.13 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $110.44 billion, a PE ratio of 27.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company's fifty day moving average price is $229.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $224.71. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $201.77 and a 52-week high of $248.00.

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. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The business had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.89 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 39.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the company'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 $1,673,221.37. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. This trade represents a 25.38% decrease in their position. 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 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on MMC shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced 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. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $241.93.

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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