The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Buys 81,873 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 9.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 981,589 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 81,873 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.20% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $208,499,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MMC. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 1.4 %

NYSE MMC traded up $3.21 on Friday, hitting $227.21. 1,355,556 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,883,084. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $199.69 and a twelve month high of $248.00. The company's 50 day moving average price is $231.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $224.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $111.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.43%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's payout ratio is presently 39.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $1,673,221.37. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total transaction of $550,302.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,326,412. This trade represents a 14.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 in the last 90 days. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $281.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $241.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

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.