Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich Buys 2,612 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 87,732 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 2,612 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $20,565,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MMC. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7,320.9% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,108,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $235,511,000 after acquiring an additional 1,093,817 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $207,278,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 29,648.6% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 688,978 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $146,346,000 after purchasing an additional 686,662 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 21,445,110 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,784,190,000 after purchasing an additional 518,185 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 127.9% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 899,716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $200,718,000 after purchasing an additional 504,897 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.4 %

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $235.40 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $115.61 billion, a PE ratio of 28.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.17 and a 12 month high of $241.84. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $222.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $223.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded 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 research report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $230.44.

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.