Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Acquired by United Bank

United Bank increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 7.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,781 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 483 shares during the period. United Bank’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $1,440,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies 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 $1,673,221.37. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 57,828 shares of company stock valued at $13,350,279. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on MMC. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $233.41.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $242.39 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $196.17 and a one year high of $243.89. The company has a market cap of $119.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. The business has a fifty day moving average of $229.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $224.11.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.