Merit Financial Group LLC Sells 1,958 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Merit Financial Group LLC lowered its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 21.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 7,131 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,958 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,351,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Impax Asset Management Group plc purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $261,787,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3,413.7% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 532,670 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $100,925,000 after acquiring an additional 517,510 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1,496.4% during the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 447,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $85,064,000 after purchasing an additional 419,000 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 60.5% in the third quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 791,161 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $150,558,000 after purchasing an additional 298,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.8% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,979,821 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,137,960,000 after purchasing an additional 271,408 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.0 %

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock traded down $0.09 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $199.27. The company had a trading volume of 1,039,890 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,926,955. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $171.47 and a 52-week high of $209.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $98.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a 50 day moving average of $202.84 and a 200 day moving average of $197.38.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $2.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.80 by $0.09. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 34.14%. The business had revenue of $6.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.53 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.04%.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,169 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $202.00, for a total value of $438,138.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 14,199 shares in the company, valued at $2,868,198. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,169 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $202.00, for a total value of $438,138.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 14,199 shares in the company, valued at $2,868,198. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 12,494 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were 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 $6,762,205.62. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 36,751 shares of company stock worth $7,448,163. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MMC has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. UBS Group upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $238.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $215.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $207.69.

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.