Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) is Mawer Investment Management Ltd.'s Largest Position

Mawer Investment Management Ltd. lessened its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 1.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,157,615 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 84,454 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for approximately 7.0% of Mawer Investment Management Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. owned 1.45% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $1,356,153,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Westover Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Westover Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,843 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $349,000 after buying an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,808 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $343,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 3,594 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $681,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,361 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $258,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Financial LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 7,365 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,396,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 12,494 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, 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 SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Martine Ferland sold 9,128 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 9,979 shares in the company, valued at $2,012,065.77. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 12,494 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.79, for a total value of $2,508,670.26. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 33,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,762,205.62. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 36,751 shares of company stock worth $7,448,163. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded up $0.71 on Friday, hitting $205.55. 921,241 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,722,121. The company has a market capitalization of $101.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a fifty day moving average of $202.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $197.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $171.47 and a one year high of $209.20.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $2.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.80 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.38 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 34.14%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.53 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on MMC. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $185.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $189.00 to $201.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $207.69.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.