NorthRock Partners LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

NorthRock Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 72.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,016 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,105 shares during the quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,066,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,236,186,000. Stifel Financial Corp grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 551.0% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 2,224,932 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $472,599,000 after purchasing an additional 1,883,146 shares in the last quarter. Amundi grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,072,976 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $860,824,000 after purchasing an additional 1,823,807 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7,320.9% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,108,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $235,511,000 after purchasing an additional 1,093,817 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $207,278,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 21st. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $241.93.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at $6,520,202.64. The trade was a 63.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.5%

MMC opened at $222.55 on Thursday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $201.77 and a 52 week high of $248.00. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $229.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $224.70. The firm has a market cap of $109.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.46%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.95%.

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.