Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Purchases 4,277 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 7.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 64,564 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,277 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $13,714,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. FWG Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 32.5% during the fourth quarter. FWG Holdings LLC now owns 1,464 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 359 shares in the last quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,469,000. Simplicity Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 20.1% during the fourth quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 1,426 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $303,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares in the last quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $531,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of 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. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE MMC opened at $235.87 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $223.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $223.42. 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 $241.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $115.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. Analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

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

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.