LGT Capital Partners LTD. Reduces Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

LGT Capital Partners LTD. cut its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 165,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,000 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises approximately 1.3% of LGT Capital Partners LTD.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. LGT Capital Partners LTD.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $35,086,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.6% during the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 1,812,150 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $403,200,000 after purchasing an additional 95,540 shares during the period. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 16.9% during the third quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,890 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,537,000 after purchasing an additional 998 shares during the period. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 100.0% during the third quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 2,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $446,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Summit Global Investments lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 15.7% during the third quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 1,535 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $342,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter valued at $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on MMC shares. 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.4 %

MMC opened at $235.40 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $196.17 and a twelve month high of $241.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $222.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $223.35. The company has a market cap of $115.61 billion, a PE ratio of 28.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. Sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.38%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.