Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) is Jensen Investment Management Inc.’s 4th Largest Position

Jensen Investment Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,040,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 10,280 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up 5.8% of Jensen Investment Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Jensen Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $645,843,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Avalon Trust Co increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3,379.5% during the 4th quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 2,714 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $576,000 after purchasing an additional 2,636 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 788,731 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $167,534,000 after acquiring an additional 29,431 shares in the last quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co now owns 10,353 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,199,000 after acquiring an additional 398 shares during the last quarter. Buckley Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Buckley Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,488 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $741,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aviso Financial Inc. raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 20.3% in the 4th quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 22,188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,713,000 after purchasing an additional 3,738 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MMC stock opened at $231.71 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $224.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $223.59. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.17 and a 52-week high of $241.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $113.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.29, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. 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 (NYSE:MMC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. Equities research analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.41%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $4,919,096.95. This trade represents a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 57,828 shares of company stock worth $13,350,279. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MMC. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective 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. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on 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, Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $230.44.

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.