Sarasin & Partners LLP Boosts Stock Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. $MMC

Sarasin & Partners LLP grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 65.6% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 926,449 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 367,121 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up about 1.8% of Sarasin & Partners LLP’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Sarasin & Partners LLP’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $185,503,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Trust Point Inc. increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 2,348 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $473,000 after buying an additional 372 shares during the period. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 10.3% in the 3rd quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 20,347 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,101,000 after acquiring an additional 1,902 shares in the last quarter. Mills Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth approximately $278,000. Natural Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $301,000. Finally, Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 18,958 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,821,000 after purchasing an additional 343 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MMC. Barclays raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $221.00 to $206.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $258.00 to $257.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $248.00 to $242.00 in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $243.00 to $237.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $222.00 to $212.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 17th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $222.35.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO John Q. Doyle sold 21,079 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.22, for a total value of $3,841,015.38. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 87,681 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,977,231.82. This trade represents a 19.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:MMC opened at $184.48 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.12, a PEG ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.75. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $174.18 and a 52 week high of $248.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $184.25 and a 200 day moving average of $199.89.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.34 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 31.79% and a net margin of 15.60%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.63 earnings per share. 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 Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC) is a global professional services firm headquartered in New York City that provides advice and solutions in the areas of risk, strategy and people. Founded in 1905, the company has grown into a diversified group of businesses focused on insurance brokerage and risk management, reinsurance, human capital and investment consulting, and management consulting. Its long history and scale position it as a prominent adviser to corporations, governments and other institutions seeking to manage risk and optimize human and financial capital.

The firm operates through several well-known subsidiaries and business units that specialize in distinct services.