Prana Capital Management LP Acquires Shares of 13,562 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Prana Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 13,562 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,881,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 11.2% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 106,065 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $22,529,000 after buying an additional 10,722 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 37,974 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,066,000 after purchasing an additional 6,514 shares during the period. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,540,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1,376.3% during the fourth quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 16,180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,437,000 after buying an additional 15,084 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nearwater Capital Markets Ltd acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $24,325,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.5%

MMC opened at $222.55 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $229.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.70. The company has a market capitalization of $109.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.17, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $201.77 and a 52 week high of $248.00. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.89 EPS. Analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was 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 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, 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. In the last three months, insiders sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MMC shares. Barclays raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price 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. Finally, Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $241.93.

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.