Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 23,444 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. reduced its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 461,564 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 23,444 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.09% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $97,980,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MMC. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,224,318 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $260,057,000 after buying an additional 45,782 shares during the last quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $33,516,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7.0% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 3,466,282 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $736,273,000 after purchasing an additional 226,961 shares in the last quarter. Prudential PLC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.8% in the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 98,144 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $20,847,000 after purchasing an additional 44,145 shares during the period. Finally, Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 33.1% during the 4th quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 10,946 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,325,000 after purchasing an additional 2,723 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total value of $11,367,602.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares in the company, valued at $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 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 value of $309,455.49. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. The trade was a 31.06 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 67,397 shares of company stock worth $15,694,684 in the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Raymond James restated 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note 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 issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $233.41.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Down 5.9 %

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $229.94 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $232.01 and its 200 day moving average is $224.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $113.34 billion, a PE ratio of 28.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $196.17 and a one year high of $248.00.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

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.