Pacer Advisors Inc. Increases Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 63.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 51,087 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 19,835 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $9,679,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 223,867 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $42,602,000 after buying an additional 830 shares during the last quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 312,437 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $58,763,000 after buying an additional 12,970 shares during the last quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,825,000. DNB Asset Management AS grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 120,411 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $22,814,000 after purchasing an additional 5,405 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eqis Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 92.3% during the 2nd quarter. Eqis Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,553 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $856,000 after purchasing an additional 2,185 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.2 %

NYSE:MMC traded up $0.37 on Thursday, reaching $205.98. 1,270,285 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,681,694. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $200.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $196.03. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $163.37 and a 12 month high of $209.20. The company has a market capitalization of $101.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.35, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The financial services provider reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $5.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.54 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.52% and a return on equity of 33.72%. The firm's revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.47 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is 37.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MMC. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $215.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $186.00 to $185.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 30th. StockNews.com cut shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $189.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $202.71.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,461 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.16, for a total value of $305,582.76. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at $611,374.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,994 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.00, for a total value of $2,048,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,291,675. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,461 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.16, for a total transaction of $305,582.76. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at $611,374.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 36,751 shares of company stock valued at $7,448,163 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc, a professional services company, provides advice and solutions to clients in the areas of risk, strategy, and people worldwide. It operates through Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment offers risk management services, such as risk advice, risk transfer, and risk control and mitigation solutions, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking, strategic advisory services, and analytics solutions, and insurance program management services.