Access Financial Services Inc. Takes $1.22 Million Position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Access Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 5,756 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,223,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $224,000. Mechanics Bank Trust Department boosted its position in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department now owns 17,707 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,761,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares in the last quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 62,012 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $13,172,000 after buying an additional 2,626 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,229 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $261,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Finally, My Legacy Advisors LLC raised its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 13.5% in the fourth quarter. My Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 2,787 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $592,000 after buying an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of MMC opened at $215.23 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $218.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $221.15. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $188.31 and a 12-month high of $235.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market cap of $105.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.96.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.57 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 8.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Roth Mkm upped their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $220.00 price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $255.00 to $259.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $214.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $228.60.

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.