Oxford Asset Management LLP Has $768,000 Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Oxford Asset Management LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 118.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,615 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,957 shares during the period. Oxford Asset Management LLP's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $768,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,236,186,000. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 551.0% in the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 2,224,932 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $472,599,000 after buying an additional 1,883,146 shares during the period. Amundi increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,072,976 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $860,824,000 after buying an additional 1,823,807 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7,320.9% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,108,758 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $235,511,000 after buying an additional 1,093,817 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $207,278,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MMC shares. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 price objective (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Redburn Atlantic began 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. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted 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. 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 note on Friday, April 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $241.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded down $1.67 on Thursday, hitting $223.80. 756,260 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,876,183. The stock has a market capitalization of $110.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $231.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $224.58. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.72 and a 1-year high of $248.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current 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 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.08 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.89 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.46%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.95%.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the company's 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,326,412. This represents a 14.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % 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 three months. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

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.