Mackenzie Financial Corp Sells 143,354 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Mackenzie Financial Corp lessened its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 24.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 445,375 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 143,354 shares during the quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp owned approximately 0.09% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $84,385,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.4% during the third quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 223,867 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,602,000 after buying an additional 830 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 1,180,332 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $221,078,000 after acquiring an additional 10,161 shares during the period. CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 1,448 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $2,825,000. Finally, DNB Asset Management AS boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 120,411 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $22,814,000 after buying an additional 5,405 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:MMC opened at $197.32 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $97.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $171.47 and a 1-year high of $209.20. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $202.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $196.64.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The financial services provider reported $1.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.05. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 33.72% and a net margin of 16.52%. The business had revenue of $5.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.47 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $185.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $215.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $204.29.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,994 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.00, for a total value of $2,048,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,291,675. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,994 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.00, for a total value of $2,048,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,291,675. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 12,494 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.79, for a total value of $2,508,670.26. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 33,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,762,205.62. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 36,751 shares of company stock worth $7,448,163. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc, a professional services company, provides advice and solutions to clients in the areas of risk, strategy, and people worldwide. It operates through Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment offers risk management services, such as risk advice, risk transfer, and risk control and mitigation solutions, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking, strategic advisory services, and analytics solutions, and insurance program management services.