Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) is Mawer Investment Management Ltd.’s 3rd Largest Position

Mawer Investment Management Ltd. decreased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 10.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,221,464 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 696,894 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up about 6.0% of Mawer Investment Management Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Mawer Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,321,501,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of MMC opened at $242.39 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $229.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $224.11. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $196.17 and a twelve month high of $243.89. The stock has a market cap of $119.04 billion, a PE ratio of 29.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

Insider Activity

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the company’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 directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. This trade represents a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 57,828 shares of company stock worth $13,350,279. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on MMC. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. 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 for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $233.41.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.