Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Purchased by Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC

Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 7.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 240,484 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 16,853 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $51,081,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. MML Investors Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 48,034 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,203,000 after buying an additional 1,299 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 133,004 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,251,000 after purchasing an additional 2,034 shares during the period. Norinchukin Bank The raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 20,748 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,407,000 after acquiring an additional 1,173 shares during the period. Ossiam raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 906.2% in the 4th quarter. Ossiam now owns 126,821 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,938,000 after purchasing an additional 114,217 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Inc. CA raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 22.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Inc. CA now owns 420,633 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $89,347,000 after buying an additional 78,106 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MMC stock opened at $220.15 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $232.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.81. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.72 and a 12-month high of $248.00. The company has a market capitalization of $108.51 billion, a PE ratio of 26.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.08 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.89 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.48%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total transaction of $550,302.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,326,412. The trade was a 14.20 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm’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 approximately $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MMC shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $239.53.

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.