Sterling Group Wealth Management LLC Cuts Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Sterling Group Wealth Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 11.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,399 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 176 shares during the quarter. Sterling Group Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $297,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. AE Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 10.5% during the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,868 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $604,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 18.1% in the second quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 1,791 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $377,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the second quarter worth about $20,882,000. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.7% during the second quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,873 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $405,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 335,728 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $70,745,000 after purchasing an additional 7,515 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on MMC. Roth Mkm raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Barclays raised their target price on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $228.60.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total value of $553,875.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 48,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,756,030.95. This trade represents a 4.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC stock opened at $217.62 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $106.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.96. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $188.31 and a 12-month high of $235.50. The business’s 50 day moving average is $218.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $221.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.50%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 40.15%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

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.