Mariner LLC Has $95.28 Million Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Mariner LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 448,546 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,125 shares during the period. Mariner LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $95,275,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, 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 value of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This trade represents a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $237.43 on Tuesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $196.17 and a 12-month high of $248.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $117.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.99, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. 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 50 day moving average price of $233.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $224.72.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.37%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MMC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. 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. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price target on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $236.12.

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.