Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Sold by Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC

Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 2.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 238,815 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 5,275 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for approximately 1.5% of Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Hardman Johnston Global Advisors LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $45,248,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.3% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 19,423,136 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,696,223,000 after acquiring an additional 61,408 shares during the period. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 105,777.7% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 9,772,516 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,617,156,000 after acquiring an additional 9,763,286 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.4% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 8,278,659 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,575,881,000 after acquiring an additional 31,821 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 49.2% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 6,293,827 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,041,503,000 after purchasing an additional 2,075,928 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.8% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,979,821 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,137,960,000 after purchasing an additional 271,408 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Martine Ferland sold 9,128 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.63, for a total transaction of $1,840,478.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 9,979 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,012,065.77. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 12,494 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.79, for a total transaction of $2,508,670.26. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 33,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,762,205.62. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Martine Ferland sold 9,128 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.63, for a total transaction of $1,840,478.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 9,979 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,012,065.77. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 36,751 shares of company stock worth $7,448,163 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of MMC traded down $1.12 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $198.07. The stock had a trading volume of 1,924,580 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,700,457. The firm has a market cap of $97.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $202.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $196.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $169.50 and a twelve month high of $209.20.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The financial services provider reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 return on equity of 33.72% and a net margin of 16.52%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.47 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 4th will be given a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 3rd. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $185.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered Marsh & McLennan Companies from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $212.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $204.64.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.

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