Northern Trust Corp Increases Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 14.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 5,934,340 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 726,713 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned approximately 1.21% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $1,260,513,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MMC. Louisbourg Investments Inc. increased its stake 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 worth $1,744,000 after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank increased its position in 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 worth $22,618,000 after buying an additional 6,310 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.4% in the fourth 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 period. Brentview Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $3,635,000. Finally, Occidental Asset Management LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $4,112,000 after acquiring an additional 1,555 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:MMC opened at $219.37 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $231.78 and a 200 day moving average of $224.62. The company has a market capitalization of $108.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.79, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.72 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.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion during 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 posted $2.89 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,522 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,326,412. The trade was a 14.20 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 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 value of $309,455.49. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % 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 valued at $16,244,986 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. 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. Raymond James reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 target price (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus 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.

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