Guggenheim Capital LLC Reduces Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Guggenheim Capital LLC trimmed its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 14.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 71,765 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 12,466 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $15,244,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Morse Asset Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $75,000. Virtu Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 12,756 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,846,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.6% in the third quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 10,499 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,329,000 after buying an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 487.5% in the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 517 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $115,000 after acquiring an additional 429 shares during the period. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 29.9% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,223 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,842,000 after purchasing an additional 3,962 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on MMC shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 target price (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $239.53.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total value of $550,302.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 quarter, insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986. 0.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE MMC traded down $5.12 on Monday, hitting $214.95. 384,503 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,852,340. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.72 and a 1-year high of $248.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $105.95 billion, a PE ratio of 26.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $232.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $224.81.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.08 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.89 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is currently 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.