Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Sold by Stratos Investment Management LLC

Stratos Investment Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,500 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 99 shares during the quarter. Stratos Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $319,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% during the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth $31,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MMC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Two investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $229.13.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of MMC stock opened at $225.61 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $110.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.96. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $217.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $221.46. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $191.95 and a 12-month high of $235.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.45 EPS for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $0.815 dividend. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

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.