Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Stake Decreased by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. decreased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 16.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 77,441 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 15,594 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $16,449,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $13,957,000. Horizon Investments LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 11,569 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,448,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 15.4% during the 4th quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 2,987 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $635,000 after buying an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 21.5% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC now owns 144,628 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,720,000 after buying an additional 25,554 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avalon Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3,379.5% in the 4th quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 2,714 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $576,000 after purchasing an additional 2,636 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total transaction of $11,367,602.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This trade represents a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 57,828 shares of company stock worth $13,350,279. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MMC stock opened at $232.97 on Tuesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.17 and a 12 month high of $241.84. 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 company has a 50-day moving average price of $225.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $223.63. The stock has a market cap of $114.42 billion, a PE ratio of 28.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company 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 $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MMC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. 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. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $230.44.

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.