NEOS Investment Management LLC Acquires 6,216 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

NEOS Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 30.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 26,822 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,216 shares during the period. NEOS Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $5,697,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $45,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MMC. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of 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 reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $233.41.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total transaction of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 57,828 shares of company stock valued at $13,350,279. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE:MMC opened at $243.77 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $229.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.08. The firm has a market cap of $119.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.76, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $196.17 and a one year high of $243.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. Research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 1.34%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.