Auxier Asset Management Lowers Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Auxier Asset Management decreased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 0.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 35,518 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 87 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for 1.2% of Auxier Asset Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Auxier Asset Management’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $7,924,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% during the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 100.0% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 712.5% in the 2nd quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 195 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MMC shares. Roth Mkm lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday. Bank of America upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $248.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Barclays boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $219.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $227.60.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total transaction of $553,875.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 48,549 shares in the company, valued at $10,756,030.95. This trade represents a 4.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of MMC stock opened at $233.24 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $114.55 billion, a PE ratio of 28.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.94. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $184.28 and a 1 year high of $235.21. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $224.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $219.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.02. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.82% and a return on equity of 32.65%. The business had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.71 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 4th were given a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 4th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.40%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.15%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc, a professional services company, provides advice and solutions to clients in the areas of risk, strategy, and people worldwide. It operates through Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment offers risk management services, such as risk advice, risk transfer, and risk control and mitigation solutions, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking, strategic advisory services, and analytics solutions, and insurance program management services.