Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. Raises Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,882 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the period. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,037,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of MMC. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on MMC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. 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 research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

MMC stock opened at $235.40 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $196.17 and a 52-week high of $241.84. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $222.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $223.36. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $115.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. Equities research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

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.