Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Sold by B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lessened its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 14.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 179,546 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 29,848 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $38,107,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MMC. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,236,186,000. Amundi increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,072,976 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $860,824,000 after purchasing an additional 1,823,807 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7,320.9% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,108,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $235,511,000 after buying an additional 1,093,817 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $207,278,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 29,648.6% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 688,978 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $146,346,000 after acquiring an additional 686,662 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $242.39 on Monday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.17 and a 12-month high of $243.89. The stock has a market cap of $119.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.60, 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 $229.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $224.08.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 Dividend Announcement

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 dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the company’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 value of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was 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 directly owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 valued at $13,350,279 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on MMC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $233.41.

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.