Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Sold by State of Tennessee Department of Treasury

State of Tennessee Department of Treasury reduced its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 23.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 141,824 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 43,616 shares during the quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $30,125,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 94,952 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $20,171,000 after purchasing an additional 8,246 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 60.4% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 31,364 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,662,000 after buying an additional 11,806 shares during the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 240,484 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $51,081,000 after purchasing an additional 16,853 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 48,034 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $10,203,000 after purchasing an additional 1,299 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Raymond James reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $241.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.2 %

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded up $0.41 during trading on Friday, reaching $219.37. 3,174,623 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,873,084. The company's 50-day moving average is $231.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.72 and a 52-week high of $248.00. The firm has a market cap of $108.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.79, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.89 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 39.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total value of $550,302.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,326,412. This represents a 14.20 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. This trade represents a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986 in the last quarter. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc is a professional services firm, which engages in offering clients advice and solutions in risk, strategy, and people. It operates through the Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment is involved in risk management activities, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking and services.