Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Bought by Axa S.A.

Axa S.A. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 18.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 185,486 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 29,367 shares during the quarter. Axa S.A.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $39,399,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MMC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $241.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MMC opened at $227.21 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $231.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $224.54. The firm has a market cap of $111.95 billion, a PE ratio of 27.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $199.69 and a fifty-two week high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 previous year, the company earned $2.89 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.43%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is currently 39.95%.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were 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 directly owns 20,935 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. The trade was a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the sale, 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 sold a total of 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.