Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Purchases 51,222 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,582,186 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 51,222 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 0.52% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $489,247,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Valley National Advisers Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 343.3% in the 4th quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 133 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Headinvest LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Cordant Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 1.1 %

MMC traded up $2.22 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $203.74. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,000,323 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,723,838. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The stock's 50-day moving average is $202.81 and its 200-day moving average is $197.67. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $171.47 and a 1 year high of $209.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.86, a PEG ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.90.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $6.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $6.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.53 EPS. Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.71 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. Investors of record on Thursday, April 4th will be issued a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is currently 36.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $215.00 to $185.00 in a research note on Monday, January 8th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $185.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $211.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $189.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $207.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 12,494 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.79, for a total value of $2,508,670.26. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 33,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,762,205.62. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Martine Ferland sold 9,128 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.63, for a total value of $1,840,478.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 9,979 shares in the company, valued at $2,012,065.77. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 shares were 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 directly owns 33,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,762,205.62. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 36,751 shares of company stock valued at $7,448,163. Insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

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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