Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Sells 23,743 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lowered its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 3.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 594,259 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 23,743 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned 0.12% of Marsh & McLennan Companies worth $112,594,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Valley National Advisers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 343.3% in the 4th quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 133 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Headinvest LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Cordant Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of MMC stock traded down $1.03 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $196.29. 1,493,507 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,694,056. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $202.60 and its 200-day moving average is $196.64. The company has a market cap of $96.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.20, a P/E/G ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $171.47 and a fifty-two week high of $209.20.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The financial services provider reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.05. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 33.72% and a net margin of 16.52%. The business had revenue of $5.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.54 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.47 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 4th will be given a $0.71 dividend. This represents a $2.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 3rd. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 37.72%.

Insider Activity at Marsh & McLennan Companies

In related news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,461 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 2,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $611,374.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,461 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 14th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $611,374.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 9,994 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.00, for a total transaction of $2,048,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 20,935 shares in the company, valued at $4,291,675. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 36,751 shares of company stock valued at $7,448,163 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $189.00 price target on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $185.00 to $188.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $215.00 to $185.00 in a report on Monday, January 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $200.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $204.29.

About Marsh & McLennan Companies

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.