Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Stock Holdings Lifted by Empirical Asset Management LLC

Empirical Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 28.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 22,934 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,126 shares during the period. Empirical Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $4,871,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 7,320.9% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,108,758 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $235,511,000 after purchasing an additional 1,093,817 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 2.5% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 21,445,110 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,784,190,000 after buying an additional 518,185 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 127.9% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 899,716 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $200,718,000 after buying an additional 504,897 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 31,846.5% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 427,764 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $95,430,000 after acquiring an additional 426,425 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Truist Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 93.9% in the 2nd quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 761,974 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $160,563,000 after acquiring an additional 368,970 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $216.42 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $188.31 and a 12 month high of $235.50. The company has a market cap of $106.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.96. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $218.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $221.09.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.02. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.82% and a return on equity of 32.65%. The company had revenue of $5.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.68 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 40.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on MMC. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $217.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Two 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 MarketBeat.com, Marsh & McLennan Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $228.60.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, Director Oscar Fanjul sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.55, for a total transaction of $553,875.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 48,549 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,756,030.95. This trade represents a 4.90 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.35% 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.