Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. Acquires 767 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 24.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 3,956 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 767 shares during the period. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $840,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% in the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Bangor Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 18.8% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 285 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

NYSE MMC opened at $215.23 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $105.71 billion, a PE ratio of 26.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.96. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $188.31 and a 1-year high of $235.50. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $218.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $221.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.02. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.82% and a return on equity of 32.65%. The company had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 40.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MMC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $214.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $211.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Roth Mkm raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $228.60.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total value of $553,875.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 48,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,756,030.95. The trade was a 4.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.