Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Acquired by Flputnam Investment Management Co.

Flputnam Investment Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 217,418 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,649 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up approximately 0.8% of Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $46,182,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% during the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday, November 25th. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 1.4 %

MMC opened at $237.78 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $220.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $222.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market cap of $116.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.96. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.17 and a 12 month high of $237.97.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. As a group, research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

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.