Capital International Investors Has $3.87 Billion Stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Capital International Investors cut its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 18,243,788 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 84,568 shares during the quarter. Capital International Investors’ holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $3,874,947,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

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

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $220.15 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.72 and a 1 year high of $248.00. The company’s 50-day moving average is $233.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The company has a market cap of $108.51 billion, a PE ratio of 26.88, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.08 billion. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.89 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Raymond James reaffirmed 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $281.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $239.53.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 completion of the transaction, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total value of $550,302.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,522 shares in the company, valued at $3,326,412. The trade was a 14.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986. 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.