Sterling Capital Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Sterling Capital Management LLC cut its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 9.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 336,161 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 36,425 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies makes up about 1.0% of Sterling Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $71,404,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MMC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 target price (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Redburn Atlantic began coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price target for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Two research 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $234.65.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of MMC stock opened at $228.56 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $232.63 and its 200 day moving average is $224.55. The stock has a market cap of $112.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.91, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $196.17 and a twelve month high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. Research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 1.43%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.80%.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,919,096.95. The trade was a 25.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.16, for a total transaction of $11,367,602.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 28,329 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,520,202.64. This represents a 63.55 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.