Edgestream Partners L.P. Reduces Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Edgestream Partners L.P. trimmed its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 35.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,010 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 6,094 shares during the quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $2,339,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MMC. Impax Asset Management Group plc increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 1,812,150 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $403,200,000 after acquiring an additional 95,540 shares during the last quarter. Summit Global Investments grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 15.7% in the third quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 1,535 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $342,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth about $41,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $720,000. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 21.0% in the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,245 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $278,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $235.40 on Monday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.17 and a 12-month high of $241.84. The stock has a market cap of $115.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.74, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $222.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $223.35.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on MMC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $230.44.

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.