Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $157.11 Million Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 829,203 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 44,092 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.17% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $157,109,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MMC. Valley National Advisers Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 343.3% in the fourth quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 133 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Headinvest LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Cordant Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC remained flat at $205.55 during trading hours on Monday. 856,711 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,684,981. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $171.47 and a one year high of $209.20. 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 has a 50 day moving average price of $202.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $198.02. The stock has a market cap of $101.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.90.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $2.89 earnings per share (EPS) 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 return on equity of 34.14% and a net margin of 16.84%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's quarterly revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.53 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.04%.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $611,374.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Martine Ferland sold 9,128 shares of the company'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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly 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 available through the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,461 shares of the business's 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $611,374.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 36,751 shares of company stock worth $7,448,163. 0.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on MMC. TD Cowen boosted their target price 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. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from an "overweight" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $211.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $218.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $207.69.

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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