Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Purchases 23,684 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 6.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 368,711 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 23,684 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $78,318,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.2% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,905,431 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,648,304,000 after purchasing an additional 251,361 shares in the last quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 67.2% in the 4th quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 8,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,744,000 after acquiring an additional 3,300 shares in the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 197.5% during the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 11,116 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,480,000 after acquiring an additional 7,380 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.3% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 85,424 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,461,000 after purchasing an additional 3,553 shares during the period. Finally, Czech National Bank increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 106,485 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $22,618,000 after purchasing an additional 6,310 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $243.77 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $229.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $224.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market cap of $119.72 billion, a PE ratio of 29.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.17 and a 1 year high of $243.89.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current 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 paid a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.34%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is presently 39.80%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the company’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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 57,828 shares of company stock valued at $13,350,279 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MMC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Redburn Atlantic started coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. 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 report on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $233.41.

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.