Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Position Increased by Coho Partners Ltd.

Coho Partners Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC – Get Rating) by 0.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,277,255 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,484 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises approximately 3.6% of Coho Partners Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest position. Coho Partners Ltd. owned 0.26% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $211,360,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Markel Corp increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Markel Corp now owns 618,800 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $105,456,000 after acquiring an additional 9,300 shares during the period. United Bank increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.9% in the first quarter. United Bank now owns 7,580 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,292,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.9% during the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 37,526 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,395,000 after buying an additional 695 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 43.9% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 4,188 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $714,000 after buying an additional 1,277 shares during the period. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.5% in the 1st quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 3,066 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $523,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the period. 87.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMC opened at $155.80 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $167.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $164.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $143.33 and a 1 year high of $183.14. The firm has a market cap of $77.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 26th. The financial services provider reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.40 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $5.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.23 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.45% and a net margin of 14.72%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.36 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 7.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 5th will be paid a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 4th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 39.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on MMC. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 27th. Raymond James raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 30th. Credit Suisse Group upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $157.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, January 19th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $168.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $178.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $173.70, for a total value of $503,730.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 75,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,105,143.90. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.70, for a total transaction of $503,730.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 75,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,105,143.90. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 3,140 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Monday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.22, for a total transaction of $518,790.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,458,880.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

(Get Rating)

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.