Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Has $18.23 Million Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 671.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 85,809 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 74,693 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $18,227,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MMC. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $1,236,186,000. Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 551.0% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 2,224,932 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $472,599,000 after buying an additional 1,883,146 shares during the last quarter. Amundi raised its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 81.1% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,072,976 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $860,824,000 after acquiring an additional 1,823,807 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7,320.9% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,108,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $235,511,000 after acquiring an additional 1,093,817 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 4th quarter worth $207,278,000. 87.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, SVP Paul Beswick sold 2,237 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.00, for a total value of $550,302.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total transaction of $1,673,221.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,919,096.95. This trade represents a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 69,634 shares of company stock worth $16,244,986 in the last 90 days. 0.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on MMC shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $223.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Redburn Atlantic initiated coverage on Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $281.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $237.00 to $244.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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 report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 price objective (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $241.93.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MMC opened at $219.37 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $231.78 and its 200-day moving average is $224.63. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $108.09 billion, a PE ratio of 26.79, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.85. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $196.72 and a 1-year high of $248.00.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $3.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.02 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $6.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.89 EPS. 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be paid a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.49%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.95%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company 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.