Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Acquired by Federated Hermes Inc.

Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,415 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the quarter. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $3,487,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $75,000. Virtu Financial LLC raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 12,756 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,846,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 10,499 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,329,000 after acquiring an additional 360 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 487.5% in the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 517 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $115,000 after buying an additional 429 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 29.9% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,842,000 after buying an additional 3,962 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of MMC opened at $233.52 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $115.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.51, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $196.17 and a 52 week high of $248.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $232.84 and a 200-day moving average of $224.62.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, beating 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $236.12.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $1,673,221.37. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total value of $550,302.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,326,412. This trade represents a 14.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986. 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.