Townsquare Capital LLC Purchases 1,631 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Townsquare Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC - Free Report) by 16.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,761 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,631 shares during the quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC's holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $2,498,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $45,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE:MMC traded down $4.78 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $215.29. 257,399 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,851,793. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $232.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $224.81. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $196.72 and a one year high of $248.00. The company has a market cap of $106.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC - Get Free Report) last announced 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 business 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 firm posted $2.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.51%. Marsh & McLennan Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,522 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,326,412. This represents a 14.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm'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 $309,455.49. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company's stock, valued at $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 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 insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MMC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective 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. Raymond James reaffirmed 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. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $239.53.

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.