The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Grows Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 127.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 899,716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 504,897 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned 0.18% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $200,718,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% in the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 100.0% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 712.5% in the second quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 195 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the period. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $219.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $227.60.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total transaction of $553,875.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 48,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,756,030.95. The trade was a 4.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.9 %

NYSE:MMC opened at $232.77 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $223.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $219.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.14. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $184.28 and a fifty-two week high of $233.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $114.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.94.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.02. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.65% and a net margin of 16.82%. The business had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 4th were paid a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 40.15%.

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.