Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Sold by Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,054 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 559 shares during the quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $2,284,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Westover Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Westover Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,843 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $349,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 1,808 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $343,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,361 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $258,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Summit Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 7,365 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,396,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 515 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $98,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MMC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $215.00 to $185.00 in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $218.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $190.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $208.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $197.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $207.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,461 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.16, for a total value of $305,582.76. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at $611,374.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Mark C. Mcgivney sold 12,494 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.79, for a total transaction of $2,508,670.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 33,678 shares in the company, valued at $6,762,205.62. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,461 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $209.16, for a total value of $305,582.76. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $611,374.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 36,751 shares of company stock valued at $7,448,163. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MMC traded down $0.09 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $199.27. 1,039,890 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,926,955. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 1.14. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $171.47 and a one year high of $209.20. The company’s 50 day moving average is $202.84 and its 200 day moving average is $197.38.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $2.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.80 by $0.09. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 34.14%. The firm had revenue of $6.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.53 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.71 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.71 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 3rd. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.04%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Profile

Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc, a professional services company, provides advice and solutions to clients in the areas of risk, strategy, and people worldwide. It operates through Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment offers risk management services, such as risk advice, risk transfer, and risk control and mitigation solutions, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking, strategic advisory services, and analytics solutions, and insurance program management services.