Sandy Spring Bank Lowers Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Sandy Spring Bank trimmed its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 12.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 44 shares during the quarter. Sandy Spring Bank’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $67,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.6 %

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $232.05 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 $113.97 billion, a PE ratio of 28.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $227.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $223.79.

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 Dividend Announcement

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 is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on 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. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday, November 25th. 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.