Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) Shares Bought by Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 13.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 130,509 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 15,079 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $27,721,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 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 boosted its holdings in 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 worth $278,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $212,000. Tyler Stone Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 147.6% during the third quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 1,149 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $256,000 after acquiring an additional 685 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $126,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies stock opened at $232.98 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $114.42 billion, a PE ratio of 28.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.95. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $196.17 and a 52 week high of $241.84. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $223.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $223.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a net margin of 16.60% and a return on equity of 32.60%. Equities analysts forecast 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 was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $0.815 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $3.26 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.40%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

Insider Activity

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on MMC shares. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $242.00 price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Barclays increased 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 research report on Thursday, November 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marsh & McLennan Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $230.44.

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.