O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Boosts Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 80,799 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,434 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $17,163,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Modera Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,885 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $400,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,324 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $281,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.7% during the fourth quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 768 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $163,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. New England Professional Planning Group Inc. lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. New England Professional Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,261 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TFB Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. TFB Advisors LLC now owns 2,576 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on MMC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $233.41.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of MMC opened at $242.39 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.60, a P/E/G 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 $243.89. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $229.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $224.08. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. The trade was a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 57,828 shares of company stock valued at $13,350,279. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.