Banco Santander S.A. Raises Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Banco Santander S.A. grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 86,622 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,253 shares during the period. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $18,399,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MMC. Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.6% in the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 1,812,150 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $403,200,000 after buying an additional 95,540 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 16.9% in the third quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,890 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,537,000 after acquiring an additional 998 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 10.6% in the third quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 3,717 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $829,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares during the period. Finally, Advisor Resource Council bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth approximately $232,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MMC opened at $235.40 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $115.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.74, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.17 and a 1-year high of $241.84. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $222.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $223.36. 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 results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share 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 analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MMC. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of 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. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $230.44.

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.