Pitcairn Co. Reduces Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Pitcairn Co. trimmed its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,580 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 949 shares during the period. Pitcairn Co.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $2,885,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,905,431 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,648,304,000 after acquiring an additional 251,361 shares during the period. Louisbourg Investments Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 67.2% during the 4th quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 8,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,744,000 after buying an additional 3,300 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 197.5% during the 3rd quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 11,116 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,480,000 after buying an additional 7,380 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 85,424 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,461,000 after buying an additional 3,553 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 106,485 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $22,618,000 after acquiring an additional 6,310 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE MMC opened at $243.72 on Thursday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $196.17 and a 52 week high of $245.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.76, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The company has a fifty day moving average of $231.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $224.41.

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 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, analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MMC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. 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. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $233.41.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,569 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.00, for a total transaction of $2,344,405.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,129,075. This trade represents a 31.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total transaction of $11,367,602.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 67,397 shares of company stock worth $15,694,684 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.