First Financial Corp IN Takes Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

First Financial Corp IN acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 303 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $64,000.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% in the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter valued at about $41,000. Bangor Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 390.9% during the 2nd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 270 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $211.64 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $103.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.06, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.96. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $219.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $221.13. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $188.31 and a 12 month high of $235.50.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.02. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.82% and a return on equity of 32.65%. The company had revenue of $5.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.68 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total value of $553,875.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 48,549 shares in the company, valued at $10,756,030.95. This trade represents a 4.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on MMC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $228.60.

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.