Norges Bank Purchases Shares of 5,819,813 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 5,819,813 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,236,186,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MMC. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Raymond James reaffirmed 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. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Two 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $233.41.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:MMC opened at $238.72 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $228.56 and its 200-day moving average is $223.95. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.17 and a 1 year high of $241.84. The company has a market capitalization of $117.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.37%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

Insider Transactions at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $1,673,221.37. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $4,919,096.95. The trade was a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.