Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Acquires 23,684 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 6.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 368,711 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 23,684 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.08% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $78,318,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of MMC. Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 53.6% in the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 10,130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,260,000 after buying an additional 3,535 shares during the last quarter. Cynosure Group LLC lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.4% in the third quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 2,469 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $551,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,380 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,423,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares during the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $313,000. Finally, CreativeOne Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.5% during the third quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 14,266 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,183,000 after purchasing an additional 1,123 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MMC stock opened at $243.77 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $196.17 and a twelve month high of $243.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $229.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $224.08. The company has a market cap of $119.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast 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 will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors 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 1.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on MMC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $233.41.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,520,202.64. The trade was a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 57,828 shares of company stock worth $13,350,279 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.30% 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.