Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Acquired by Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,001 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,516,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Valley National Advisers Inc. lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 343.3% during the fourth quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 133 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth $27,000. Headinvest LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth $28,000. Cordant Inc. bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth $28,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE:MMC opened at $196.23 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $202.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $196.68. The firm has a market cap of $96.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.06, a PEG ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.90. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $171.47 and a 52-week high of $209.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The financial services provider reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $5.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.54 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 33.72% and a net margin of 16.52%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.47 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.71 per share. This represents a $2.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 37.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,461 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.16, for a total value of $305,582.76. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $611,374.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,994 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.00, for a total value of $2,048,770.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,291,675. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,461 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.16, for a total value of $305,582.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $611,374.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 36,751 shares of company stock valued at $7,448,163 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $185.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $204.29.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

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.