First Trust Advisors LP Has $239.09 Million Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,125,624 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 14,043 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.23% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $239,094,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% in 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 last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $1,236,186,000. Amundi boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,072,976 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $860,824,000 after purchasing an additional 1,823,807 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,999,771 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $892,309,000 after buying an additional 184,239 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the company'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 in the company, valued at $3,326,412. This represents a 14.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % 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. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MMC traded down $0.37 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $218.59. 1,462,055 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,237,372. 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 50 day moving average is $232.00 and its 200 day moving average is $224.66. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $196.72 and a one year high of $248.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $107.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 business earned $2.89 earnings per share. On average, research 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MMC shares. Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 price objective (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays upped 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. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Redburn Atlantic started 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 on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.