Zions Bancorporation N.A. Buys 6,360 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Zions Bancorporation N.A. increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 26.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 30,008 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,360 shares during the quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $6,374,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 1.1 %

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $234.82 on Tuesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $196.17 and a fifty-two week high of $241.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $115.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.67, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $227.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $223.78.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, 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 this link. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 57,828 shares of company stock worth $13,350,279. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MMC. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.