EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC Increases Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 7.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 5,042 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 335 shares during the quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,071,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Modera Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,885 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $400,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,324 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 768 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $163,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. New England Professional Planning Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. New England Professional Planning Group Inc. now owns 1,261 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TFB Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. TFB Advisors LLC now owns 2,576 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $547,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $1,673,221.37. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $4,919,096.95. This trade represents a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

MMC stock opened at $229.73 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market cap of $112.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $224.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $223.57. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $196.17 and a 52 week high of $241.84.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. Research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MMC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Barclays lifted 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 note on Thursday, November 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Two 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $230.44.

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.