Bank of New York Mellon Corp Boosts Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,286,899 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 71,990 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned 0.67% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $698,170,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Addison Advisors LLC boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 41.0% during the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 409 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $87,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 150.7% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 7,432 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,579,000 after purchasing an additional 4,468 shares during the last quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.2% during the fourth quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 1,173,650 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $249,324,000 after purchasing an additional 68,851 shares in the last quarter. Colonial River Investments LLC raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 18.7% in the fourth quarter. Colonial River Investments LLC now owns 1,717 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $365,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 153,931 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $32,696,000 after buying an additional 4,800 shares during the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $233.99 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $219.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $222.50. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.17 and a 12 month high of $235.50. The stock has a market cap of $114.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.57, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.96.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. As a group, analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.39%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price target (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $230.44.

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.