Johnson Financial Group Inc. Acquires 61 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Johnson Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 15.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 464 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Johnson Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $101,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Louisbourg Investments Inc. raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 67.2% in the 4th quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. now owns 8,211 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,744,000 after buying an additional 3,300 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 106,485 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $22,618,000 after buying an additional 6,310 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 191,512 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,679,000 after buying an additional 16,464 shares during the last quarter. Brentview Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,635,000. Finally, Occidental Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Occidental Asset Management LLC now owns 19,359 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,112,000 after purchasing an additional 1,555 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

NYSE:MMC opened at $220.51 on Tuesday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $196.72 and a 52 week high of $248.00. The firm has a market cap of $108.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $231.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $224.59. 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 (NYSE:MMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.02 by $0.04. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. The business had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.08 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.89 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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 issued a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, CEO Nicholas Mark Studer sold 49,390 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies 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. The trade was a 63.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total transaction of $550,302.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,522 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,326,412. This represents a 14.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 69,634 shares of company stock valued at $16,244,986 in the last ninety days. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on MMC. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $250.00 price target (up previously from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $259.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $246.00 to $249.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $241.93.

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.