ST Germain D J Co. Inc. Raises Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 97.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,485 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 733 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $362,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,739,515 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,503,120,000 after buying an additional 356,618 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,050,565 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,554,841,000 after acquiring an additional 145,134 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,151,020 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,156,179,000 after purchasing an additional 96,750 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,934,340 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,260,513,000 after purchasing an additional 726,713 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $1,236,186,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MMC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $241.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $235.15 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $228.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $225.55. The company has a market capitalization of $115.86 billion, a PE ratio of 28.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $205.90 and a 12-month high of $248.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.39%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 39.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 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 $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total value of $550,302.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,326,412. The trade was a 14.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

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.