Madison Investment Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 272,729 Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 272,729 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $57,930,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MMC. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 5.6% in the third quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 1,812,150 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $403,200,000 after purchasing an additional 95,540 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 21.0% in the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,245 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $278,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the period. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $212,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $126,000. Finally, Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 33.1% in the 3rd quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 2,352 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $525,000 after purchasing an additional 585 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Marsh & McLennan Companies news, VP Stacy Mills sold 1,317 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $309,455.49. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 2,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $686,817.31. This represents a 31.06 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Dean Michael Klisura sold 7,121 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.97, for a total value of $1,673,221.37. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 20,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,919,096.95. The trade was a 25.38 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on MMC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $229.78 on Thursday. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $196.17 and a fifty-two week high of $241.84. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $224.07 and a 200-day moving average of $223.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market cap of $112.85 billion, a PE ratio of 28.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.815 per share. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s payout ratio is 39.80%.

Marsh & McLennan Companies 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.