Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC Buys 25,554 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 21.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 144,628 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,554 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises approximately 0.4% of Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $30,720,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $45,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MMC stock opened at $231.71 on Monday. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average is $224.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $223.59. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.17 and a 12 month high of $241.84. The company has a market capitalization of $113.80 billion, a PE ratio of 28.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released 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 net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. Analysts predict 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors 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 1.41%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.80%.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total transaction of $11,367,602.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 28,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. The trade was a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 57,828 shares of company stock worth $13,350,279 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MMC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $242.00 target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Monday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Raymond James restated 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. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.