Argent Trust Co Raises Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Argent Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 0.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,632 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Argent Trust Co’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $4,170,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Louisbourg Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 67.2% in the fourth quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 8,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,744,000 after acquiring an additional 3,300 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 85,424 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,461,000 after buying an additional 3,553 shares during the period. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 106,485 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $22,618,000 after buying an additional 6,310 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 191,512 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,679,000 after purchasing an additional 16,464 shares during the period. Finally, Brentview Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $3,635,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total transaction of $550,302.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,522 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,326,412. This trade represents a 14.20 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,569 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $245.00, for a total value of $2,344,405.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,129,075. The trade was a 31.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada raised Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $234.12.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MMC stock traded up $2.03 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $231.59. 139,292 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,841,079. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $232.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $224.51. The company has a market cap of $114.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.28, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.17 and a 12 month high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its 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 net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.80%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.