Rathbones Group PLC Has $139.31 Million Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Rathbones Group PLC increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 12.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 655,849 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 70,682 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $139,309,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,905,431 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,648,304,000 after acquiring an additional 251,361 shares in the last quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 67.2% during the fourth quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 8,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,744,000 after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 197.5% in the 3rd quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 11,116 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,480,000 after buying an additional 7,380 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.3% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 85,424 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,461,000 after acquiring an additional 3,553 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 106,485 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $22,618,000 after acquiring an additional 6,310 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,569 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.00, for a total transaction of $2,344,405.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,129,075. This represents a 31.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 67,397 shares of company stock valued at $15,694,684. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $233.41.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMC opened at $229.94 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $232.01 and a 200 day moving average of $224.50. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.17 and a 12 month high of $248.00. The stock has a market cap of $113.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.42%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

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.