Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Bought by Ethic Inc.

Ethic Inc. boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 21.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 67,569 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 12,002 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $14,352,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Louisbourg Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 67.2% during the 4th quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 8,211 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,744,000 after acquiring an additional 3,300 shares during the period. Czech National Bank raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 106,485 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $22,618,000 after buying an additional 6,310 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 191,512 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $40,679,000 after buying an additional 16,464 shares during the last quarter. Brentview Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $3,635,000. Finally, Occidental Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Occidental Asset Management LLC now owns 19,359 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,112,000 after acquiring an additional 1,555 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of MMC traded down $1.64 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $226.79. The stock had a trading volume of 1,525,232 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,896,747. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $201.77 and a 1 year high of $248.00. 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 stock's 50 day moving average is $230.14 and its 200 day moving average is $224.68. The firm has a market cap of $111.75 billion, a PE ratio of 27.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business 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 $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 39.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This trade represents a 63.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the business'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 sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986 in the last three months. 0.35% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MMC. Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price 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. Finally, Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price target for the company. Two 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $241.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.