Franklin Resources Inc. Purchases 765,696 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 473.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 927,525 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 765,696 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.19% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $197,016,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 453.1% in the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 21,570 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,813,000 after purchasing an additional 17,670 shares during the period. Centiva Capital LP bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at $1,940,000. Hilltop Holdings Inc. raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 140.9% during the third quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 8,396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,873,000 after acquiring an additional 4,911 shares in the last quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 27.5% during the third quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 25,017 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,581,000 after acquiring an additional 5,400 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 4,489 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,002,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:MMC opened at $243.85 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.77, a PEG 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 $245.98. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $230.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $224.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. On average, equities analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.34%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.80%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on MMC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Raymond James reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price objective (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $233.41.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, 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 value of $11,367,602.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,520,202.64. The trade was a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,569 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.00, for a total transaction of $2,344,405.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $5,129,075. The trade was a 31.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 67,397 shares of company stock valued at $15,694,684. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.