Ardevora Asset Management LLP Sells 76,527 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Ardevora Asset Management LLP cut its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 47.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 85,562 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 76,527 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up 1.4% of Ardevora Asset Management LLP's holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position. Ardevora Asset Management LLP's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $16,211,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $239,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 37.9% during the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 190,612 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $36,115,000 after buying an additional 52,420 shares in the last quarter. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $906,000. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 79,374 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $15,039,000 after buying an additional 1,133 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $1,381,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 12,494 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $6,762,205.62. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,461 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $209.16, for a total transaction of $305,582.76. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $611,374.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 12,494 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.79, for a total transaction of $2,508,670.26. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 33,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,762,205.62. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 36,751 shares of company stock worth $7,448,163 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded up $0.68 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $202.41. The company had a trading volume of 2,460,976 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,728,628. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $202.86 and a 200 day moving average of $196.91. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $171.47 and a one year high of $209.20. The firm has a market cap of $99.90 billion, a PE ratio of 25.69, a PEG ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $2.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.80 by $0.09. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 34.14%. The firm had revenue of $6.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.53 EPS. The business's revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is presently 36.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on MMC. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $185.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Piper Sandler cut shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $211.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $204.87.

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.