Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Bought by Centiva Capital LP

Centiva Capital LP boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 173.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,808 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 15,114 shares during the period. Centiva Capital LP's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $5,057,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MMC. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,236,186,000. Stifel Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 551.0% during the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 2,224,932 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $472,599,000 after purchasing an additional 1,883,146 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% in 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 during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7,320.9% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,108,758 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $235,511,000 after purchasing an additional 1,093,817 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $207,278,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on MMC shares. UBS Group raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $281.00 target price for the company. Barclays lifted 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 research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $241.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MMC opened at $226.56 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The company's 50-day moving average price is $230.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.54. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $199.69 and a fifty-two week high of $248.00. The firm has a market cap of $111.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.89 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors 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 1.44%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,569 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.00, for a total transaction of $2,344,405.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,129,075. The trade was a 31.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,522 shares in the company, valued at $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. Insiders sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 in the last ninety days. 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.

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