Essex LLC Has $4.42 Million Stock Holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Essex LLC lowered its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 5.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 20,788 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,220 shares during the period. Marsh & McLennan Companies accounts for 0.9% of Essex LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Essex LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $4,416,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. increased 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 acquired a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the third quarter worth about $41,000. 87.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MMC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Roth Mkm increased their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.6 %

Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $227.45 on Friday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $194.50 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. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $216.81 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $221.58. The company has a market capitalization of $111.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.96.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 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.