Natixis Advisors LLC Raises Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 788,731 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,431 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $167,534,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MMC. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on MMC. Barclays increased their target price on 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. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.8 %

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $231.71 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.17 and a 1-year high of $241.84. The company has a market cap of $113.80 billion, a PE ratio of 28.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $224.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $223.62.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,520,202.64. The trade was a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 57,828 shares of company stock worth $13,350,279. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.