Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Has $114.43 Million Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 8.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 538,736 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 41,828 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned 0.11% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $114,433,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 53.6% in the third quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 10,130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,260,000 after acquiring an additional 3,535 shares during the period. Blueshift Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $313,000. Fiduciary Trust Co increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 49.3% during the third quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 12,883 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,874,000 after purchasing an additional 4,253 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.7% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 85,793 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $19,140,000 after buying an additional 2,268 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Counselors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 15.0% in the third quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 2,894 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $646,000 after buying an additional 377 shares during the period. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, 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 sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $686,817.31. This trade represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $1,673,221.37. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,919,096.95. This represents a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 57,828 shares of company stock valued at $13,350,279. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MMC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of 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. lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $233.41.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC stock opened at $242.39 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.60, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. 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 business’s 50-day moving average price is $229.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $224.17. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.17 and a 12 month high of $243.89.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

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.