Nearwater Capital Markets Ltd Makes New Investment in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Nearwater Capital Markets Ltd bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 114,519 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $24,325,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings 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 worth $892,309,000 after buying an additional 184,239 shares during the last quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 24.1% in the 4th quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,346 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $498,000 after acquiring an additional 456 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 4,487 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $953,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 7,435 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,555,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Claro Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 1,422 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $302,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports 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 note on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $281.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $241.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE MMC traded up $0.87 on Monday, reaching $232.26. 379,126 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,912,319. The stock has a market cap of $114.44 billion, a PE ratio of 28.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $201.77 and a 12 month high of $248.00. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $229.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $224.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.08 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.89 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd were issued a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is 39.95%.

Insider Activity

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. The trade was a 25.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986 over the last ninety days. Corporate 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.