Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Bought by Gotham Asset Management LLC

Gotham Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 409.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 75,789 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 60,920 shares during the quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $16,098,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,999,771 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $892,309,000 after acquiring an additional 184,239 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 25.1% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,707 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $363,000 after buying an additional 343 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 48,943 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,919,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Czech National Bank grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 106,485 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $22,618,000 after acquiring an additional 6,310 shares during the period. Finally, Aprio Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 24.1% during the fourth quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,346 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $498,000 after acquiring an additional 456 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $226.79 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $201.77 and a one year high of $248.00. The company has a market cap of $111.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.69, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $230.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.66. 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 (NYSE:MMC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.08 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.89 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total value of $550,302.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,326,412. The trade was a 14.20 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MMC shares. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $215.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $241.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.